Patna resident Munna Mishra lost his life after monkeys pelted him with bricks while he swept the outside of his home

A priest in India has died after a group of monkeys dropped bricks on him as he swept the entrance to his house, becoming the third victim to die due to an attack by the animals.

Munna Mishra, a temple priest, was killed on Monday while cleaning the outside of his home in Mirchai Gali in Patna.

The monkeys had been playing on the terrace of his house while he swept up and began to drop the bricks.

One struck Mr Mishra, who was rushed to Nalanda Medical College and Hospital by his family, but he succumbed to his injuries.

After his death, police wanted to take his body for a post-mortem examination but his relatives declined the autopsy.

His death has sparked widespread panic in the local area after he became the third person in recent years to be killed by a monkey.

Locals say that the animals have bitten several people in the area over the past week including women and children.

Jeetendera Singh, a resident of Bhadra Ghat, said: 'They not only snatch vegetables and other good from the hands of people but also bite them.

'Some school children have also become their target.'

He also confirmed that two other people had died recently due to mishaps involving monkeys.

Meanwhile senior police superintendent Vikas Vaibhav has directed the local authority and forest department officials to round up the monkeys.

He added that once caught, they would be handed over to the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park.