HONG KONG - HONG Kong authorities said on Tuesday that a dead Large-billed Crow found in the territory had tested positive for the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said the latest case has taken to 12 the total number of birds found to have the virus, which can be fatal to humans, since January 29.

In a statement released on Tuesday night, the department said that the highly decomposed carcass of the Large-billed Crow was found on the predominantly rural Lantau Island on February 5.

It said the 'test result available today indicated that the dead bird was confirmed to be H5N1 positive.' The other 11 infected birds included chicken, ducks, and a Grey Heron, data on the department's website showed.

Around 250 people have died of the human form of avian flu since 2003, according to the World Health Organisation.

Most had close contact with sick birds, but scientists fear the virus could one day mutate into a form that would spread rapidly among humans, causing a pandemic.

In December, authorities found H5N1 in a chicken at a poultry farm in Hong Kong, prompting the slaughter of more than 90,000 chickens.

Hong Kong was the scene of the world's first reported major H5N1 outbreak among humans in 1997, when six people died. -- AFP