text: Thousands of chickens and other poultry have been culled following the outbreak of a highly contagious strain of bird flu in India. Officials ordered 250,000 birds to be slaughtered in Telangana after cases of the H5N1 virus were identified, which can be deadly in humans. The virus caused the deaths of nearly 400 people and hundreds of millions of poultry after it spread from Asia into Europe and Africa in 2005-2006. Culled: About 250,000 birds infected with the H5N1 virus are slaughtered in Telangana, India . Since then, India has regularly reported cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild and domestic birds. Veterinary staff from the local government's animal husbandry department carried out the cull - which included destroying hundreds of thousands of infected eggs - at Thorrur village in the Ranga Reddy district. Birds present in poultry farms were slaughtered while the eggs, including those stored in warehouses, were dumped in a pit. Destroyed: Thousands of infected eggs were dumped in a pit and buried following an outbreak of bird flu . Clean up: Authorities ordered the destruction of birds and eggs at farms across Telangana in India following the latest bird flu outbreak . Bird feed stock was burned and the sites were all thoroughly disinfected in a bid to stop the virus from spreading. India has culled 6.4 million birds due to bird flu since 2006. Experts point out that cross-infection to humans is still relatively rare and usually occurs where people have been in close contact with infected birds. But fears remain the aviation flu could combine with a human strain to produce a mutation that is more dangerous and difficult to control. In February, three people were tested for bird flu and 10,000 chickens slaughtered in Britain's first outbreak of the H7N7 strain in seven years. There have been several outbreaks of the H7N7 flu in China and 18 months ago it was found in Italy. During the Italian outbreak in August 2013, three poultry workers became infected with the virus, developing conjunctivitis. More than 1 million chickens and other poultry were culled during the Italian crisis.
target: Follows outbreak of H5N1 virus which can be deadly in humans .
  Chickens culled and eggs buried in pits in bid to contain virus .
  Virus has caused deaths of nearly 400 people worldwide since 2006 .