Tbilisi, June 17 (IANS): A tiger who escaped from Tbilisi’s zoo after severe floods this weekend has attacked and fatally wounded a man, Georgia’s interior ministry told TASS news agency on Wednesday.

The animal was shot dead in an effort by the country’s special task force.

"The tiger was liquidated in a special operation," the ministry said.

The attack occurred near the zoo in the Georgian capital, which has been affected by the flooding. The man died of the fatal injuries.

The animal was hiding in a storage facility, the ministry said.

The heaviest ever floods hit the Georgian city on June 13-14. A total of 17 people were killed and five others were reported missing.

Yards and ground floors of over a hundred houses were flooded. Streets, squares, and roads were inundated. Dozens of families lost their houses.

The river flooded the city zoo. Some animals there died and others fled the cages, including tigers and bears. Some of the animals were returned to the zoo, while others were killed as they posed a threat for people in the city.