SHILLONG, Authorities in Meghalaya today culled nearly 5,000 domesticated fowls in a bird flu-hit area of East Garo Hills district, an official said.

The birds were culled and buried with lime and bleaching powder in 19 villages within a three-km radius of a government-run farm at Williamnagar - the epicentre of H5N1 virus, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Director D. Lyngwa told IANS.