Coffin of 14-year-old Turkish boy Mehmet Ali Kocyigit is taken into an ambulance from a hospital before burial in the eastern city of Van in Turkey, January 4, 2006. (Xinhua/Reuters)

ANKARA, Jan. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Turkey on Wednesday confirmed two human cases of bird flu, including a teenage boy who died after developing pneumonia-like symptoms, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

   "One of the patients diagnosed with bird flu is Mehmet Ali Kocyigit who died earlier. The other patient is Fatma Kocyigit from the same family. Fatma's condition is serious and she is currently in hospital," Health Minister Recep Akdag was quoted as saying.

   Akdag added that a third patient was suspected of carrying the bird flu virus but has not been confirmed yet.

   The three patients were brought to 100th University Medical Faculty in Van province from Dogubayazit town of Agri province in eastern Turkey for bird flu tests.

   The minister said that a third sibling from the Kocyigit family is also suspected of having bird flu.

   Akdag's statement contradicted a ministry statement earlier this week, which said that the 14-year-old boy's death was not caused by bird flu.

   Mehmet Ali died in the hospital in Van on Sunday after showing symptoms of influenza after eating questionable chicken meat.

   Akdag did not say if the boy had died of the deadly H5N1 strain, but said samples were being sent to European labs for further tests.

   Authorities are closely monitoring the H5N1, for fear it could mutate into a form easily passed between humans and spark a pandemic.

   Birds in Turkey, Romania, Russia and Croatia have recently tested positive for H5N1.

   On Sunday, Igdir Governor's Office said 756 birds had been culled in the area in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

   Experts said migratory birds might have brought the virus to Igdir from the Caucasus region. 

   An outbreak of bird flu in October 2005 in northwestern Turkey triggered the culling of more than 10,000 birds. The virus was identified as the deadly H5N1 strain that has killed dozens of people in Asia since 2003. Enditem