A rare Siberian tiger attacked and killed a tour bus driver in northern China as horrified passengers watched.

The tiger pounced on Jin Shijun and dragged him into the forest after he got out to check on his bus, which was stuck in the snow at the world's largest Siberian tiger breeding base in the northern province of Heilongjiang on Monday, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The bus was full of tourists visiting the breeding centre and Mr Jin broke safety guidelines by leaving the vehicle, the report said.

Park employees tried to distract the tiger with firecrackers and tranquilliser darts, but by the time they managed to get to Mr Jin, he was dead.

The base has about 1,000 Siberian tigers.

Siberian tigers are one of the world's rarest species. An estimated 300 are left in the wild, but more than 5,000 are kept on farms and wildlife parks across China.

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