One child died of suspected bird flu on the way to his hospital from Bulanik town of Mus province in eastern Turkey on Wednesday, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.
Sevgi Acar, 11, was initially diagnosed as a pneumonia patient and sent to Karacoban State Hospital in eastern Erzurum province, but lost her life on the way to transfer to the Aziziye Research Hospital, the hospital's Prof. Dr.Akin Aktas was quoted as saying.
Aktas said that blood samples taken from Sevgi Acar were sent to Ankara to determine if she actually died of bird flu.
Meanwhile, Aktas noted that another patient in the Aziziye Research Hospital who tested positive for bird flu is in a stable condition and can eat and drink.
So far, there are 21 people infected with bird flu in Turkey, among whom four children have died since.
In an effort to stem the spread of the disease, Turkey has culled some 988,000 fowl across the country, according to the Turkish National Coordination Center for Bird Flu.