SEOUL, May 12 (Xinhua) -- South Korean quarantine officials announced Monday that they have slaughtered and buried around 15,000 poultry in Seoul to prevent further spreading of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in the capital.

    The culling came after a second case of bird flu was confirmed in Seoul on Sunday.

    The bird flu has spread throughout the country since the government confirmed an outbreak of the epidemic in southwestern part of the country early April.

    The South Korean government recently announced to ban the trade of live chickens and ducks at traditional markets in a bid to prevent further spreading of bird flu.