Flooding has claimed at least 12 lives in Tbilisi, the capital of post-soviet Georgia, and demolished the zoo’s walls unleashing lions, tigers, bears, wolves and a hippopotamus.

About half the zoo’s 600 resident animals are missing. The city’s human residents have been told to stay indoors while the animals are rounded up, or shot.

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Portions of the city’s zoo were destroyed, allowing many animals – including six tigers, six lions and eight bears – to break free of their enclosures and roam the streets.

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili called on Tbilisi residents to stay indoors while the animals were still at large, describing the damage to the city’s infrastructure as “substantial” after the River Vere burst its banks after hours of torrential rain.

“Our latest estimate is that the death toll is 12,” Tbilisi mayor David Narmania said.

The mayor’s office said dozens of families had been left without shelter and thousands without water and electricity in the city.

Georgian sharpshooters were on call to protect the city’s residents. Photo: AAP

Tbilisi Zoo spokeswoman Mzia Sharashidze told the InterPressNews agency that three dead bodies had been found on the grounds of the zoo, including two employees.

“Search for animals continues, but a large part of the zoo is simply non-existent,” she said. “It was turned into a hellish whirlpool.

“Some 20 wolves, eight lions, white tigers, tigers, jackals, jaguars have either been shot dead by special forces or are missing. Only three out of our 17 penguins were saved.”

Zebras flee the flooding zoo, two-by-two. Photo: AAP

Police have shot dead several animals over safety concerns, with six wolves killed at a children’s hospital, broadcaster Rustavi 2 reported.

It footage showed a hippo swimming in the flooded Heroes’ Square in downtown Tbilisi as rescuers struggled to capture the animal.

The corpses of a lion and a pony lay on the road close to the zoo on Sunday afternoon, an AFP journalist said.

These images from #Tbilisi of animals which escaped from a zoo during floods are quite something. Via @IraqiSecurity pic.twitter.com/Za51VOVHbx

— Louisa Compton (@louisa_compton) June 14, 2015

President Giorgi Margvelashvili offered his condolences to the relatives of the flood victims and promised the process of rebuilding would quickly begin.

“The human losses that we have suffered are very hard to tolerate,” he told local TV. “I express my condolences to all the people who lost their relatives.”

The main damage was done when the Vere river – which flows through the park containing the zoo in the centre of the city – burst its banks.

Cars submerged in flood water. Photo: AAP

Mr Narmania called on Tbilisi residents to help take part in the clean-up operations that are underway throughout the city.

The city is home to Christian churches built in the 13th century.

– with AAP