The authorities in Maharashtra's Jalgaon will start the culling of over 70,000 birds from Wednesday following fresh cases of bird flu being found in the district, a senior official said.

"Precautionary measures were being put in place in an area of more than three kilometre radius, where the culling would take place," District Collector Vijay Singhal said.

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Singhal said, out of the total 26 samples of dead chickens sent to the High Security Animal Diseases Laboratory at Bhopal, four had tested positive.

These belonged to affected villages Salva, Savda, Marul and Hater.

"Culling operations would commence in 175 villages in six places in the district," he said.