Several hundred spectators got an unexpected shock at a circus in Macedonia after a lion broke through an enclosure during a performance.

The incident occurred late Sunday in Kavadarci, a central town about 100 kilometers south of the capital Skopje.

The spectators fled in panic when the lion charged through metal fencing at the Hungarian circus Safari, according to circus officials and witnesses. Children were crying and some women even fainted, they said.

The lion was stopped using a tranquilizer gun, while two other lions used in the performance were caged by handlers.

AP