Some 2,000 birds died of bird flu overnight in Turkey, a local TV channel reported on Saturday.

The birds belonged to a farmer in a village near Balikesir in western Turkey, and the transportation of animals in and out of the village was forbidden.

Officials from the Health Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry were investigating the case.

There are several strains of bird flu but only a few are deadly. Experts are tracking the H5N1 strain, fearing that it could mutate and spawn a human flu pandemic.

Source: Xinhua