May 9, 2007
Workers flee as thousands of chickens die in Indian farm
Workers have fled from a poultry farm in Darjeeling in India as thousands of chickens died Tuesday (Apr 8).
The dead birds were discovered only after neighbours complained of a stench coming from the farm, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
A federal laboratory is checking the dead birds for bird flu, an official said.
About 2,500 birds have been killed in the farm in the Darjeeling region, said Rajesh Pandey, the region's top government official.
Some of the dead chickens were sent to a federal testing center in the central Indian city of Bhopal.
India reported a case of bird flu in its western region last year, but declared itself bird flu free after culling hundreds of thousands of chickens.
