Bird flu cases have been detected in Thane district of Maharashtra following the death of around 100 birds at a poultry farm in Shahapur recently, an official said on Thursday.

"Around 100 birds died at the poultry farm in Vehloli village in Shahapur tehsil recently. Their samples were sent to a Pune-based laboratory for testing and the results confirmed that they died due to H5N1 avian influenza," Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Thane Zilla Parishad, Dr Bhausaheb Dangde, said.

After this, around 25,000 birds being reared at the poultry farms in the one-km area of the affected farm will be culled in the next couple of days, he said.

The animal husbandry department of the district will undertake measures to prevent the spread of the infection in other birds, Dangde said.

The Union Ministry of Fisheries and Animal Husbandry has been informed about the detection of bird flu cases here, he added.

(With Inputs from ANI)