ANKARA, Jan. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- A second child has died from bird flu in Turkey, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported. Turkey authorities announced Wednesday that a child from the same family died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu.

    According to Anatolia, Fatma Kocyigit, who was taken under medical treatment in Van 100th University Medical Faculty and was diagnosed with bird flu, died earlier Thursday.

    Kocyigit, 15, was the sister of the 14-year-old Mehmet Ali Kocyigit who died on Jan. 1, said the report.

    Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdag announced Wednesday that Mehmet Ali died from bird flu, adding that the treatment of other members of the Kocyigit family in the hospital in Van province in eastern Turkey continues.

    Akdag said that "the other patient is Fatma Kocyigit from the same family. Fatma's condition is serious and she is currently in hospital."

    The third sibling from the family is also suspected of having bird flu.

    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 the hospital from Dogubayazit town of Agri province in eastern Turkey for bird flu tests.

    The minister'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. Enditem