Indian swine flu deaths top 200

There are more than 6,500 cases of the H1N1 flu strain in India

The number of people to die of swine flu in India has crossed 200, health officials say.

The new deaths have been reported from the Indian capital, Delhi, and the western Maharashtra and Gujarat states.

The number of swine flu cases in India has also climbed to over 6500, officials say. They have been reported from 28 states.

Many schools in affected cities have closed temporarily because of the outbreak of the disease.

Maharashtra state has recorded the highest number of deaths (87) followed by Karnataka (66) and Gujarat (18), the reports say.

In August, colleges and cinemas in Mumbai were temporarily closed because of fears about the spread of flu.

The virus is thought to have killed more than 3,000 people around the world.

The swine flu (H1N1) virus first emerged in Mexico in April and has since spread to many countries.

Many of India's confirmed cases of swine flu have been among people who have returned from overseas travel.

Passenger screening has been introduced across India's main 22 international airports.