Bird flu [Images] was reported in a new area in virus-hit western Tripura district, as culling operations began on Thursday, to kill 60,000 birds in eight gram panchayat areas.

The bird flu virus was detected in blood samples of dead birds, from Nadilag village of Bishalgarh subdivision, at the High Security Animal Diseases Laboratory in Bhopal on Wednesday, official sources said.

Culling would begin at Nadilag after it was notified by the Central government, the sources said.

Meanwhile, 60,000 birds would be culled from today in eight gram panchayat areas, which fall within the five-km radius of Mohanpur in Sadar subdivision of West Tripura district, from where samples had tested positive on April 21. Culling would continue in the area for the next five days.

A red alert has been sounded and import of poultry and eggs from outside the state, including neighbouring Bangladesh, has been banned.

Reports said that a total of 43 districts in Bangladesh were affected by bird flu.

Personnel of the Border Security Force and special surveillance teams were keeping vigil in the border areas.

Five checkposts were set up at Sidhai, Mantola, Khowa Chowmuhuni, Tarapur and Bijaynagar School in Chowmuhuni to ban the movement of birds to and from the affected panchayats and Bangladesh, the sources said.