Six swine flu deaths, including four from Puducherry, were reported Wednesday, taking the toll due to Influenza A (H1N1) virus in India to 457, health authorities said here. One death each was reported from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, and four from Puducherry. So far, five people have died in Puducherry due to the virus. With one more death in Maharashtra, the toll in the state has jumped to 196 - the highest in the country.

Tamil Nadu's toll due to the contagious virus has gone to seven, authorities said. Also, 88 new cases were reported Wednesday, taking the total number of people affected with the virus to 13,633. "Till date, samples from 72,003 people have been tested for Influenza A (H1N1) in government laboratories and a few private laboratories across the country, and 13,633 of them have been found positive," said an official statement issued here.

Of the 88 new cases, 30 were from Kerala alone. New cases were also reported from Delhi (19), Maharashtra (14), Karnataka (8) and Haryana (1), health authorities said.