New Delhi, Sep 18 - A record 13 swine flu deaths, including eight in Maharashtra, were reported Friday, taking India's influenza A (H1N1) toll to 233, health authorities said.

Moreover, a record 372 fresh cases were reported in the country, taking the total number of people affected with the contagious virus to 7,374.

In Maharashtra, five people succumbed to the virus late Thursday night. The medical reports of three people, who had died earlier, came Friday confirming that their deaths were due to swine flu, officials said.

The death toll in the state has now touched 97 - the highest in the country.

In Bangalore, two deaths were reported, both from the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD). The victims were Pushpa, a 28-year-old woman who died Sep 12, and 55-year-old Renuka who died a day later.

However, reports confirming that both victims tested positive for the virus were received only on Thursday, a health official said.

With the two deaths, the total toll in Karnataka has gone up to 75, officials said. As many as 55 of the deaths were registered in Bangalore alone.