A tiger attacked and killed a man on Tuesday in a paddy field near the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in West Champaran district in Bihar, a forest official said.

"A tiger was appreciated chasing a bluebull. The chase brought both animals in the vicinity of the field where the farmer, Sohan Mahto, was weeding his field. When the bluebull escaped, the tiger attacked the man. He died on the spot. The entire incident was witnessed by some villagers from 50 to 60 meters away, "VTR Field Director HK Roy, said.

The victim, Sohan Mahto, was attacked and killed by a tiger in the paddy field near Bagahi village outside the VTR area, he said. According to forest officials, the tiger, which was chasing a blue bull attacked Mahto in his paddy field and killed him.

However, Ambrish Kumar VTR's divisional forest officer, said the official confirmation of the cause of death would come only after the post-mortem report. "Only after the post-mortem report, would it be confirmed that the man was indeed killed in a tiger attack. It is a formal procedure to be followed,"he said.

The postmortem of the victim has been conducted, while the report is still awaited. According to latest official data, the VTR had 31 tigers in 2018, up from 8 in 2010. There were also 10-12 cubs. The VTR is spread over 899 square km in West Champaran district, bordering Nepal to its north and Uttar Pradesh in the west.