New Delhi, Sep 21 - Seventeen swine flu deaths, ten of them in Karnataka alone, were reported Monday, taking the total toll due to Influenza A (H1N1) virus to 257 in India, health authorities said here.

Although health ministry officials said seven deaths were reported Monday - three each in Maharashtra and Gujarat and one in Andhra Pradesh, ten deaths occurred in Karnataka in a span of 10 days, but were only confirmed Monday.

The official said that the ten deaths that occurred in Karnataka between Sep 8 to 18 have been found to be due to the contagious virus. The laboratory confirmations came Monday.

'Four more deaths have taken place in the state. But we are waiting for the laboratory confirmation,' the official said.

With these deaths, the total death toll in Karnataka has jumped to 79 - the second highest in the country.

In Maharashtra, two deaths were reported from Pune, the epicentre of the virus, and one in Nagpur. With the three deaths, the total number of deaths in the state has gone up to 106 - the highest in the country.

Three deaths - one each from Gandhinagar, Surat and Vadodara - were also reported from Gujarat. With these three deaths, the toll in the state has risen to 26 - the third highest in the country.