Deadly strain of bird flu virus hits India, France
India testing 8 people in area where 50,000 birds have died from virus, by Crack Palinggi / Reuters

BOMBAY, India - India and France each announced their first cases of bird flu on Saturday as tests confirmed birds infected with the deadly H5N1 strain.

The French government on Saturday confirmed the country's first case of the lethal H5N1 bird flu virus, following tests on a wild duck found dead in a southeastern village. The duck was found Monday in a bird reserve some 20 miles northeast of Lyon, France's third-largest city, the Agriculture Ministry said.