London Zoo has confirmed that a female aardvark has died in the fire at a cafe and petting zoo, which took 70 firefighters to bring under control this morning.

Four meerkats, missing following the blaze at the Animal Adventure Cafe & Shop in the Outer Circle of the zoo, near Regents Park, are also "presumed dead".

The London Fire Brigade was called this morning after flames engulfed the structure, which contains a petting zoo with meerkats, porcupines, goats, pigs and other farmyard animals. At night the animals are housed in a building adjacent to the cafe.

Director General London Zoo, Dominic Jermey, confirmed that the aardvark, Misha, had died in the fire and that four meerkats were missing.

However he said zoo staff were unable to get into the scene of the fire to confirm their fate as it was under the control of the fire service.