The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Kolkata

Nearly 20,000 chickens have died in eastern India in the past week, triggering fears of an outbreak of bird flu, officials said.

Samples from dead birds have been sent to a laboratory in central India to determine if the deaths were due to the H5N1 virus. "The dead birds showed the flu symptoms," said S.K Bhowmic, the chief health officer of the affected district in eastern West Bengal state. The poultry deaths were reported from farms in the state's Morgram village, about 125 kilometers (75 miles) from state capital Kolkata.