Bird flu: 10 ducks found dead at Delhi's Sanjay Lake; samples sent for testing

NEW DELHI: Ten ducks were found dead at east Delhi's Sanjay Lake on Saturday, a day after 17 crows were reported dead at the Central Park of Mayur Vihar Phase III, an official said here.

The lake will be closed till further notice, the official added.

"We have found 10 dead ducks at Sanjay Lake, samples of which have been sent to the lab for testing," Dr Rakesh Singh of the Department of Animal Husbandry told PTI.

Over the last few days, at least 50 birds, including 35 crows, have died in the national capital, adding to the threat of a bird flu.

"We received information about the death of crows in Dwarka, Mayur Vihar Phase 3 and Hastsal village in west Delhi.

However, it is yet to be ascertained if bird flu infection is the reason," Singh had said earlier.

He added that the first test reports will be available on Monday.

The collected samples will be sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Disease, ICAR, Bhopal, on Saturday, a statement from the department said.

On Friday, the Centre said that bird flu has been confirmed so far in six states — Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat.