More than 50 people died Sunday after a massive explosion at a temple in southern India where crowds had gathered for a fireworks display, Kerala home minister Ramesh Chennithala said.

"More than 50 people have died, that is the information that we we have," Chennithala told the NDTV network, while local media said the death toll was at least 60.

"More than 150 people are injured," he said.

Large crowds had come together at the Hindu Puttingal Devi temple in the coastal town of Paravur at 3am to watch the fireworks display.

The fire is expected to have occurred after an explosion at a storeroom on the temple's premises that was housing large amounts of firecrackers for the festivities, according to the Press Trust of India.

The minister said firefighters and police worked during the night at the temple in Kollam district to douse the fire and take the injured to hospital.

"Now the situation is under control... the police are on the spot," he said.

Television footage showed a series of large explosions and plumes of smoke rising into the night air, as well as injured arriving at local hospitals.

Fires and stampedes are common at temples and during religious occasions, often because of poor security arrangements and lax safety standards.