Adelaide/Paris: Swine flu infections in the Asia-Pacific mounted on Saturday, a day after a 26-year-old Australian man with the virus died, although authorities say it may have been other serious ailments that killed him.

The Aboriginal man who died on Friday could be the first person in the region to be claimed by swine flu, which has swept rapidly across nations here but without fatal impact. The man was named by the officials.

Fiji reported its first confirmed case, following Bangladesh, Laos and Papua New Guinea. Infections continued to rise sharply in Thailand, where most of the patients are school students. China confirmed 32 more infections, bringing its tally to 329 cases, and Malaysia confirmed seven more, bringing its total to 42.

Australia has recorded the highest tally of swine flu cases in the region, reaching 2,376 on Saturday. An official said swine flu remained mild in Australia and that most people infected made rapid and full recoveries.

Fiji became the third South Pacific island nation to confirm its first infection this week, following Samoa and Papua New Guinea.

Bangladesh on Friday confirmed its first case: a 19-year-old man who had recently returned from the US, the health ministry said in a statement. It said he was being treated and his family members were also under observation.

Thailand's public health ministry confirmed 73 new cases yesterday, bringing the country's total to 662, about half of them in Bangkok.

Singapore's health ministry said a Philippine soccer player participating in the Asian Youth Games had contracted swine flu and was hospitalised in stable condition. His close contacts were quarantined. The ministry did not release the player's name or age.

Meanwhile, Turkey's health ministry reported its first case of swine flu in someone who was not infected abroad, and said new cases had brought the total here to 23.

India's health ministry late on Friday confirmed six new cases, bringing the country's total to 50. Macau confirmed two new cases, bringing the Chinese enclave's total to three.

In France, the mayor of Paris says a schoolgirl in the French capital has a confirmed case of swine flu.

Mayor Bertrand Delanoe says in a statement that the girl is hospitalised "but should be out soon." He says other pupils and staff at the school are being treated with anti-viral medicines.

He says the girl recently returned from a school trip to England.