Passers-by Ignore Car Crash................

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BANGKOK:

Bird flu fears in Thailand prevented passers-by from helping four people injured in an accident between a drunk-driver and a pick-up truck full of chickens, rescue officials said on Sunday.

The four were left unattended late Saturday despite dozens of motorists stopping because up to 500 live and dead chickens were scattered around the wrecked vehicles, said rescue officials in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat.

"A lot of people were watching but nobody wanted to help because they were scared of the disease," a volunteer rescue official told AFP.

He said it took rescuers hours to collect the chickens after the four accident victims were taken to hospital in stable condition.

The accident happened one day after a Thai tiger zoo reported 83 of the beasts had either died or been culled after becoming infected with the deadly bird flu virus.

Six Asian nations have reported a resurgence of the virus amid fears that the disease has become endemic in the region. Thailand has confirmed 11 human fatalities and Vietnam at least 19. - AFP