KATHMANDU, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Bird flu has been found in birds in Nepal, a minister said on Friday, the first time the virus has surfaced in the Himalayan nation.

"Bird flu has been reported in birds from a village in east Nepal. We have declared that area crisis-hit," Krishna Bahadur Mahara, minister for Communication and Information, told Reuters.

He could not immediately say if the virus was the virulent H5N1 strain, or if it had been found in poultry or wild birds. (Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Krittivas Mukherjee)

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