BEIJING, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- China has confirmed a new outbreak of African swine fever in northeast China's Liaoning Province, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said Thursday.

Of 1,353 pigs raised on a local farm in the city of Dalian, 20 pigs were confirmed infected and 11 dead, according to a ministry statement.

Local authorities have initiated an emergency response to block, cull and disinfect the affected pigs, according to the statement.

The outbreak is now under control, it said.

African swine fever is a highly contagious, viral disease that infects pigs. It does not affect humans or other animal species.

China reported its first case of the disease in August in Liaoning. Later outbreaks were reported in several other provincial regions.