NEW DELHI, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- The A/H1N1 flu Sunday claimed eight lives in India, raising the death toll to 240 from the disease in the country where 253 new cases were reported in the past few days, said Indian Health Ministry officials on Monday.

    Two deaths each were reported from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. Of the deaths, one fatality each was reported from Pune and Mumbai and the two fatalities in Andhra Pradesh were from Hyderabad, said the officials.

    The total number of people infected by the virus has reached nearly 8,000 in India. Out of the 253 new cases, one is an imported cases and rest are indigenous, said the officials.