Bear is shot after mass breakout from German zoo

A bear also escaped from the zoo but has since been found and shot. It is currently unclear whether the animal is dead.

Authorities are still looking for the big cats, the spokesperson said.

The Eifel Zoo, which is located on the outskirts of Lunebach, around 11 miles (18 kilometers) from the Belgian border, is home to about 400 animals, according to the zoo's website. These include a Siberian tiger and African lions.

Police are advising people to remain in their homes, keep windows and doors closed and remain vigilant.

German media is reporting that the animals were able to escape after flooding from a storm Thursday night.

Yannick Becker, who lives just over a mile from the zoo, posted video and images of flooding on the River Prum, which flows just to the east of the zoo.

"There hasn't been a flood like this here for at least 70 years," Becker told CNN. He said he had heard from the fire department that two storms had collided to cause unusually high levels of rainfall.

"As far as I know, a dam broke in the Eifel Zoo, which caused the area to be flooded," he said. "That enabled multiple animals to escape."

Local authorities have not confirmed whether the flooding is related to the escape.

Sophie Rebmann reported from Berlin and Judith Vonberg wrote from London

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