Mexico swine flu death toll rises to 56

The death toll in Mexico from the H1N1 flu outbreak that has spread globally has risen to 56, the health ministry said on Monday, as results of tests on people who died in recent weeks came in.

Mexico has had a total of 2,059 cases of the swine flu distributed throughout all but three of the country's 32 states, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said.

Mexico, the epicenter of the epidemic, had previously reported 48 deaths from the new flu, a genetic mixture of swine, bird and human viruses.

Millions of Mexican elementary and junior high school students began returning to classes on Monday morning for the first time since April 23 when the government closed schools to prevent infection.

A total of 30 countries have reported cases of the flu, which has killed people in Canada, the United States and Costa Rica as well as Mexico.