The Animal Husbandry Department of northeast India's Tripura state has order a mass pig cull after an outbreak of African Swine Flu virus was confirmed.
A mass grave is being prepared for the slaughtered animals, local media stated on Tuesday.
The department confirmed the presence of the virus in the Sepahijala District, where more than 65 pigs have died since 25 March.
The highly contagious and deadly disease has already ravaged neighbouring state of Mizoram, causing deaths of thousands of swine.
A senior official in the Animal Husbandry Department told eastmojo.com, a digital news media platform from northeast India, that three samples were sent to North Eastern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory for testing on 7 April. On 13 April, "we received the PCR report that confirmed that all the samples were positive".
The official further said that a mass grave would be dug up to bury the infected pigs after mass slaughter.
“All pigs within a one-kilometre radius of the farm will be executed and buried. We are attempting to keep the disease contained within the farm and its environs so that the virus does not spread throughout the state,” the official added.
A total of 33,417 pigs died due to the outbreak of ASF last year, causing financial losses to the tune of INR 6.08 billion ($7.8 million). The infectious disease was reported for the first time in the state in March last year.