Paris: Iran has reported an outbreak of the highly contagious H5N1 bird flu virus in backyard ducks in the northern part of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Monday, citing a report from the Iranian agriculture ministry.

The outbreaks killed 10 birds out of a total of nearly 230 in a house in Mahmoodabad on the coast of the Caspian Sea, the OIE said in a report posted on its website. All other animals were destroyed.

Last year Iran had reported outbreaks of another highly contagious bird flu virus, the H5N8.