UPDATE 1-Telmex says swine flu could help call volume

(Adds latest flu dead toll, details, stock quotes)

MEXICO CITY, April 28 (Reuters) - A rising number of phone calls from Mexicans concerned about the swine flu that has killed 149 people in the country could be good news for leading provider Telefonos de Mexico, a top company official said.

"I am crossing my fingers ... It could be a positive impact for Telmex," Chief Financial Officer Adolfo Cerezo told an analyst call Tuesday morning.

A new strain of flu virus hit Mexico severely this month and has spread to more countries, prompting jittery citizens to check on family and friends in the country and abroad.

Telmex TMX.N TELMEXL.MX, part of the business empire of billionaire Carlos Slim, posted on Monday a steeper-than-expected 14.6 percent decline in first-quarter earnings, hit by weaker local and long-distance revenue.

The company, the leading fixed-line phone service provider in Mexico, pared losses Tuesday mid-morning in the local market and its shares were off 0.45 percent to 11.10 pesos. In New York, its shares were about flat at $15.96. (Reporting by Cyntia Barrera Diaz, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)