HONG KONG, October 20 (RIA Novosti) - A dead crow, which was found in one of Hong Kong's central parks, has tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus, local media said on Monday.

The last confirmed outbreak of bird flu in China was registered in June in the province of Guangdong, close to Hong Kong, when over 17,000 ducks were slaughtered as a preventive measure.

According to the World Health Organization, avian influenza has so far killed 243 people out of a total 387 confirmed cases worldwide. Although there have been no incidences of human to human infection, experts fear that it may mutate into a form that could easily be transmitted from person to person, causing a global pandemic.