The Ministry of Agriculture confirmed Tuesday new bird flu outbreak in poultry in north China's province of Shanxi.

The ministry said 15,000 fowls at a fowl-run in Yijing Township, Yangquan City, died in two days from February 2 to 3.

After a preliminary analysis, the state avian flu lab confirmed on February 7 that the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic bird flu was the killer, the ministry said.

After the break, the ministry has sent a group of experts to the spot, guiding the quarantining job.

Vet departments in Shanxi has so far culled 187,745 poultry within three km from the affected areas after the province activated its emergency reaction program on the outbreak of the disease, it said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 8, 2006)