Bird flu detected at farm near Cambodian capital

A farm near the Cambodian capital was closed after about 2,300 chickens died of bird flu _ apparently the first cases of the disease in the country following an epidemic in Asia earlier this year.

The remaining 2,200 birds at the farm, located about 5 kilometers (3 miles) outside Phnom Penh, were destroyed Wednesday and earlier this week, said Hun Sokha, the farm´s owner.

Hundreds of chickens fell ill and started dying on Saturday, said Hun Sokha.

Testing by the Pasteur Institute in Phnom Penh confirmed the bird flu strain of H5N1, said Som Sin, head of the local agriculture office.

The earlier outbreak of bird flu killed or forced the slaughter of more than 100 million birds across 10 Asian countries. It jumped from poultry to people in Vietnam and Thailand, killing 28 people.

Bird flu was found in 12 areas of Cambodia during the epidemic. There were no human victims in the country, but more than 30,000 chickens, ducks and other fowl were slaughtered to prevent the disease from spreading.