Local authorities in Germany have advised residents to stay inside their homes following the escape of two lions, two tigers and a jaguar from a zoo in Lünebach in western Germany.

The police said residents should immediately call if they see anything as a massive hunt is under way for the five big cats.

A bear had also escaped from the privately owned Eifel zoo, but was shot, a local official told AFP.

German media report the animals were able to break out after flooding from a storm overnight.

Owned by the Wallpott family, the 30-hectare (74-acre) zoo is home to nearly 400 animals of 60 species, including Siberian tigers and lions.

It was first established in 1965 with only dogs, donkeys and a wild boar, according to the zoo's website, and is visited by 70,000 people a year.

Friday's escape comes two years after two lions broke out of their cages at a zoo in Leipzig in eastern Germany. One was shot dead and the other recaptured.