A tiger has been shot dead in Paris after escaping from a circus, police say.
The huge animal reportedly roamed the streets of the French capital, sparking "intense panic", as members of the public "screamed" and ran for their lives.
It then wandered into a train station, where local rail announcers are said to have told passengers: "A tiger is on the loose, please vacate the station".
The escaped tiger was shot amid fears it would hurt passengers, according to witnesses. One said of the situation: "It's so sad."
Officers say the animal was gunned down by circus staff. Photos of the creature, posted on social media, appear to show it lying unmoving on the ground.
"All danger is removed," police said. They added that the tiger was killed by circus employees - despite earlier reports that armed cops had shot it.
A tram line had been closed while the animal was at large.
Before entering the train station, the tiger had reportedly been seen roaming around Paris's 15th arrondissement, where the circus is located.
"He had entered a railway station, leading to its closure", claimed an eye-witness, who lives in the area and asked to be referred to as Richard.
"There were fears that the tiger would hurt railway passengers around the Garigliano Bridge. That’s where he was cornered and then shot dead."
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Other witnesses said the "fierce-looking" tiger caused "intense panic" as it made its way through the city's streets.
"There were people running and screaming," said one.
"It was a very big, fierce looking animal."
France Info reporter Benoît Zagdoun posted two images of the "neutralised" tiger, taken by a witness, on Twitter this evening.
He said two or three shots were reportedly fired at the animal.
The alarm was raised at 5.50pm, when rail announcers on line T3a revealed that a tiger was on the loose and asked passengers to leave the station.
Armed police were seen heading to the scene, along with the tiger's owners. Circus staff then shot dead the creature, police say.
Firefighters also attended the incident, France Info reports.
At 6.10pm, the same rail announcers on T3a said the incident was "over".
They added that traffic had resumed.
A spokesman for the Paris police prefecture said: ‘The animal has been neutralised. All danger is gone.’
It remains unclear how the animal escaped. The tiger's body will reportedly be recovered by the circus or vets.
Its owners are said to be in shock following the incident.