Romanian health workers carry domestic birds before gassing them in the eastern village of Ceamurlia de Jos

Romanian authorities killed thousands more domestic birds in the Danube Delta region and sprayed disinfectant in two villages Sunday to limit the spread of a dangerous avian flu virus.

Romania's agriculture minister, Gheorghe Flutur, said all the domestic birds in the village of Maliuc were being killed, and that culling had been completed in the nearby village of Ceamurlia de Jos, where tests Saturday confirmed the presence of the H5N1 strain of flu that has killed more than 60 people in Asia.

All vehicles leaving the two villages are being disinfected, and the region is under quarantine. The virus is believed to have been spread from Asia to Europe by migratory birds.

The European Union has banned poultry imports from Romania and Turkey, where the presence of the H5N1 virus has also been confirmed.