Over 100 people have died and up to 350 others sustained injuries in a big fire mishap in the southern Indian state of Kerala during a fireworks display to mark the starting of the Hindu New Year on Sunday, 10 April.

Thousands of people had gathered at the Puttingal Devi Temple in the coastal town of Paravur in Kerala's Kollam district at midnight to observe the fireworks display when the fire broke out due to explosions of crackers at the temple. The horrific incident occurred around 3:30 am midnight on Sunday.

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According to eyewitness present at the scene, the unfortunate incident happened when a spark from a cracker landed in a building that stored some high potency crackers. The building caught fire and caused a massive explosion. The explosion was so powerful that many parts of the temple building collapsed. A bulldozer is currently trying to clear the area of the debris. Police, disaster management teams and fire brigade are also on the spot for rescue and relief work.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has rushed to the scene to support the local administration in the rescue operation. Rescue operations by India's Air Force are also underway with the use of 4 helicopters, including Mi-17 &ALH from Sulur (Coimbatore). 

India's Prime Minister Modi noted on Twitter that, "[The] Fire at [the] temple in Kollam is heart-rending & shocking beyond words. My thoughts are with families of the deceased & prayers with the injured." He revealed that he will be travelling to the scene of the fire soon to take stock of the situation following the tragedy.

TagsFire Tragedy, Kerala, India, temple, Kollam, Narendra Modi