Earlier on 10 May, over 4,500 bird flu-affected domestic fowls were culled in West Gulmonda Master Para village in the upazila.

There are more reports of death of fowls from suspected bird flu in different parts of the upazila.

The culled fowls include 1,104 chickens, 48 ducks and 123 pigeons from 231 households, Upazila Livestock Office sources said, adding that 340 eggs were also destroyed and buried.

Tazul Islam, a farmer of Berubon village of Shimulbari union under the upazila, brought samples of his dead domestic chickens to the Upazila Livestock Office wherefrom those were sent to Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) at Savar in Dhaka for testing on Tuesday.

The BLRI report that identified the disease as bird flu reached Nilphamari on Thursday and a team led by Jaldhaka Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mohammad Salehuddin and First Class Magistrate Mamunul Hasan went to the affected village the same night, District Livestock Officer Dr Sekendar Ali said.

The team comprising officers and employees of district and upazila livestock offices, army, BDR and police started killing and burying the domestic fowls at 11:00pm and it continued till yesterday noon. The upazila administration told the poultry farmers that they would be compensated.

Some 400 to 500 chickens, ducks and pigeons died in Berubon village from an unknown disease in last two weeks, locals said.

Panic is prevailing among the people of the village and surrounding areas as there are several hundred small and big poultry farms in the district.

The upazila administration arranged announcement through loudspeakers of mosques of Berubon village to make people aware of bird flu disease.

Poultry farmers in the village have been instructed not to rear chicken, ducks and pigeons for the next three months, UNO Salehuddin said.

Visiting different parts of the upazila yesterday, this correspondent got more reports of death of domestic fowls.

Azizul Islam, a teacher of Jaldhaka College and an inhabitant of College Para Jaldhaka Municipality, said 15 of his domestic chickens died of mysterious disease in last two days. Majibar Master of Panthapara village of the upazila also reported the death of a number of fowls in last couple of days. They said the Upazila Livestock Office was informed of the incidents.