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A lion in a Chinese zoo was shot dead after it killed one of its keepers and escaped its enclosure, the BBC reports.

The incident took place on Sunday in the eastern province of Shandong, at the Taian Tiger Mountain Park.

Authorities said the 65-year-old keeper was cleaning the enclosure when the lion bit him on his shoulders and neck. He died later from his injuries.

The lion was on the loose in the zoo for more than an hour before it was shot dead by police.

Reports in Chinese media did not say how the lion managed to get out of its enclosure after the early morning attack.

Officials put up steel barriers at the park's entrance, while zoo staff as well as visitors who had arrived for a morning swim in a pond in the park were evacuated.

Beijing Youth Daily quoted a police spokesman as saying they mobilised local officers as well as special forces to the park.

The spokesman said they cornered the lion by a wall within the zoo grounds, and shot it dead to "ensure the safety of park visitors."

A reporter with news portal Youth.cn said that shortly after 08:00 local time, he heard a shot, then "continuous gunfire" 10 minutes later.

The park reopened for business in the afternoon.