The confirmation came as international donors meeting in Tokyo said they were ready to help poor Asian countries prepare for a potential flu pandemic.

Tests sent to a Hong Kong laboratory for a 29-year-old woman who died earlier this week came back positive late Friday, WHO spokeswoman Sari Setiogi said. The agency was still awaiting results for a 39-year-old man who died recently, she said, but local tests indicated he had the deadly H5N1 virus.

Meanwhile, the European Union has pledged US$100million to help countries deal with the global bird flu threat. The announcement comes ahead of an international donors' conference in China next week, which the UN hopes will raise around US$1.5 billion.

Bird flu is already on the EU's doorstep - with three deaths among 18 cases of infection in Turkey. More than 70 people have died worldwide since the latest outbreak started in late 2003.

CNN/BBC