Nepal has reported the H5N1 bird flu virus in poultry, the first time the deadly virus has surfaced in the Himalayan nation.

According to Agriculture Minister Jai Prakash Prasad Gupta, the virus has been found in chicken and ducks. It has been confirmed to be the H5N1 virus.

Officials have stated that avian influenza was reported in poultry from southeast Nepal town of Kakarvitta, bordering India.

Veterinary workers have culled at least 13,000 birds in hopes of controlling the virus.

Officials said they sent seven dead birds for testing in a laboratory in London after a dozen birds, all backyard poultry, died mysteriously in Kakarvitta.