BEIJING (AFP) - China´s agriculture ministry said Saturday it had discovered a suspected outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus among ducks at a village outside the southern city of Guangzhou.

The ministry said in a statement that it had sent samples to a national laboratory for testing after 9,830 ducks died in the district of Panyu between September 5 and 13.

If confirmed it would be the first reported outbreak of bird flu in China for four months.

Local authorities have culled more than 30,000 ducks since the outbreak, it said.

Bird flu has so far infected at least 25 people in China, including 16 who later died.

China conducted a huge campaign last year to contain the disease, aggressively slaughtering tens of thousands of poultry and stepping up public education efforts.

H5N1 has killed 200 people and ravaged poultry flocks worldwide since 2003, according to the WHO.

Scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form easily spread among humans, leading to a global pandemic with the potential to kill millions.