Agartala

Hundreds of migratory birds were found dead on Thursday in the Sukh Sagar lake area Tripura's Gomati district.

Locals informed the forest department after spotting the dead birds. A team of Forest personnel led by DFO Gomati district Mahendra Singh visited the spot and instructed for a thorough inquiry. Singh said that he had ordered a probe.

According to preliminary reports, these birds had been coming to Udaipur in the winter for the last six-seven years from California.

Sources said that the birds were also hunted for food. Locals also said the birds could have died because of the use of pesticides in the croplands adjacent to the lake.

"We have seen people taking away the dead birds. Some people stuffed the bird carcasses in sacks and took them away to home. We don't know the reason, why they have taken it", said a local man. The carcasses were found spread over vast paddy fields and the water of the lake.

Migratory birds flock to Tripura in the winter and normally stay near lakes.