Six Bengal tigers mauled a zoo worker as she was feeding the animals in front of about 100 tourists, leaving the 18-year-old woman in intensive care at a hospital, it was reported today.

Uraiwan Sansern, who was not a qualified animal trainer, hit one of the tigers with a stick in an attempt to make it sit as part of a show for the visitors, The Nation newspaper reported.

The tiger attacked her and then other tigers joined in, the newspaper said. Other zoo workers drove away the tigers.

The incident happened yesterday in a glass enclosure at the private Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Chonburi, just outside the capital, Bangkok.

The teenager suffered a cracked spine and bites to her neck that required more than 100 stitches, hospital officials told the newspaper.

Uraiwan was in intensive care unit, a hospital worker said.

Zoo officials have refused to discuss the incident.

The newspaper quoted a tour guide as saying that the tragedy occurred in front of more than 100 tourists from China and South Korea.