New Delhi, Nov 19 (IANS) Three swine flu deaths, two from Rajasthan alone, were reported Thursday, taking the toll in India to 537, health authorities said here.

Also, 118 new cases were recorded in the country, taking the total number of people affected by the contagious flu to 16,044.

Apart from the two deaths reported from Rajasthan, one was recorded in Madhya Pradesh. According to state health officials, the patient hailed from Maharashtra but was undergoing treatment in Madhya Pradesh where he succumbed to the flu.

Maharashtra continues to top the chart of reporting the highest number of deaths - 214 - in the country due to Influenza A (H1N1), followed by 119 in Karnataka.

'Till date, samples from 81,325 people have been tested for Influenza A (H1N1) in government laboratories and a few private laboratories across the country and 16,044 of them have been found positive,' according to an official statement issued here.

New cases were also reported from Haryana (27), Rajasthan (25), Delhi (15), Kerala (14), Karnataka (10), Tamil Nadu (5) and Punjab (2).