Singapore - Three white tigers at the Singapore Zoo attacked and killed a Malaysian worker Thursday, the zoo said.

Nordin Bin Montong, 32, jumped into the moat at the white tiger exhibit and was attacked by the three animals, the zoo said. Zookeepers distracted the tigers from the victim and pulled him out of the enclosure.

"While waiting for the ambulance, our vets attended to him," the zoo said in a statement.

However, "the worker tragically succumbed to his wounds," assistant director Biswajit Guha said.

Police were investigating the incident, and the zoo temporarily closed its white tiger exhibit. (dpa)