Chile confirms first cases of new flu virus

(Recasts with second case)

By Antonio de la Jara

SANTIAGO, May 17 (Reuters) - Chile's health minister confirmed on Sunday the country's first cases of the H1N1 flu virus in two Chilean women who had returned from a trip to the Dominican Republic.

The women, aged 25 and 32, flew home on Saturday and one of them reported having flu symptoms. Both were tested and the results came back positive.

The two women are in the hospital and are receiving treatment, Health Minister Alvaro Erazo said.

The government is in touch with dozens of other people who were on the flight to check on their health. Three others have been hospitalized with flu symptoms, but it was not yet confirmed whether they had the same strain of flu.

Some 60 people have died in Mexico of the new flu strain, which last month prompted the World Health Organization to raise its global pandemic alert level to 5 on a 6-point scale.

More than 35 countries have confirmed cases of the virus. (Reporting by Antonio de la Jara, Writing by Fiona Ortiz)