South African wildlife rangers are searching for four male lions that escaped from a national park.

The lions escaped from Kruger National Park on Sunday night and were last seen in the village of Matsulu, South African National Parks said in a statement.

It warned residents to “exercise extra caution”.

It is not yet clear how the lions escaped from the park, which is largely fenced off.

Kruger National Park (KNP) is one of the biggest game reserves in Africa, covering an area of 7,523 sq miles (19,485 sq km).

“KNP Rangers and their counterparts at the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) are in the area searching for the lions and we will give details as soon as they have appraised us,” KNP spokesperson William Mabasa said in the statement.

“SANParks would like to reiterate that residents should be extra vigilant and report any sightings of these dangerous predators to the authorities.”

The latest escape comes after five lions broke out of the same park in May. Four of them were caught but the fifth is still unaccounted for.

•Text courtesy of BBC.