At least 48 people were killed and dozens injured in western India when a large water tank they climbed on to watch a village wrestling match gave way, police and officials said.

Senior police official Bhupinder Singh said the death toll was expected to rise with some of the 45 injured in serious condition.

Officials at Kama village, 400 kilometres (248 miles) from Jodhpur in Rajasthan had tried in vain to stop people climbing on the tank, he added.

Rajasthan state home minister Gulab Singh Kataria told AFP that about 200 people had clambered on to the tank to watch the wrestling match, which was part of a village fair.

"My officials tell me that 48 people have been killed in the accident," he said.

The Press Trust of India news agency said the incident triggered panic among the thousands of people who had gathered for the fair.

The Rajasthan government had ordered a probe into the incident, the report added.