New Delhi, Sep 24 - Thirteen swine flu deaths, including five in Andhra Pradesh, took the toll in the country Thursday due to Influenza A (H1N1) to 277, health officials said here.

Meanwhile, as many as 283 fresh swine flu cases were recorded in the country, taking the total number of positive cases to 8,979.

Four deaths were reported from Maharashtra - Pune, Nashik, Mumbai and Nagpur -- while three deaths occurred in Karnataka - two in Bangalore and one in Updupi.

Two deaths were reported from Hyderabad Thursday. Three deaths had occurred earlier in Andhra Pradesh, but the laboratory reports came in Thursday. One death took place in Uttarakhand, taking the state's toll to two.

So far, 28 people have died in Andhra Pradesh since the outbreak of the flu in the country in May 16.

In Maharashtra, which tops the chart for the maximum number of deaths and cases in the country, as many as 112 people have succumbed to the contagious virus and 2,574 have been affected.

Karnataka's toll has reached 85 - the second highest in the country.

The senior wing of Delhi Public School (DPS) at Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, was closed Thursday after two students tested positive for the influenza.

Two days back, the school had closed its junior wing following two children being detected with the virus.

The school will remain closed till Sep 28.

'Four students have been reported infected. We have closed down as a precautionary measure. All infected students are from the primary section.