Chicken farmer cries foul as Italian tank blows up coop

ROME, March 18 (Reuters) - An Italian army tank taking part in military exercises in northern Italy mistakenly blew up a chicken coop late on Wednesday killing a large number of birds, local police said.

The accident happened on the outskirts of Vivaro, a small town close to an army shooting range.

The army did not make any immediate comment.

The farm owners discovered the damage on Thursday morning when they saw that their chicken shed had partially collapsed and many birds had perished.

Local media reported that magistrates in the nearby city of Pordenone have opened an investigation and impounded the tanks involved in the exercise.

Reporting by Angelo Amante

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