Bird flu was reported in a new area in the virus-hit West Tripura district as culling operations began today to kill 60,000 birds in eight Gram Panchayat areas. Bird flu virus was detected in blood samples of dead birds from Nadilag village of Bishalgarh subdivision at the High Security Animal Diseases Laboratory in Bhopal yesterday, official sources said. Culling would begin at Nadilag after it was notified by the Central Government, the sources said. Meanwhile, 60,000 birds would be culled from today in eight gram panchayat areas, which fall within the five-km radius of Mohanpur in Sadar subdivision of West Tripura district, from where samples had tested positive on April 21, director of state animal resource department said. Culling would continue in the area for the next five days, he said. A red alert has been sounded and import of poultry and eggs from outside the State, including neighbouring Bangladesh has been banned. Reports said a total of 43 districts in Bangladesh were affected by bird flu. Personnel of BSF and special surveillance teams were keeping vigil in the border areas. Five checkposts were set up at Sidhai, Mantola, Khowa Chowmuhuni, Tarapur and Bijaynagar School Chowmuhuni to ban movement of birds to and from the affected Panchayats and Bangladesh, the sources said.