India coronavirus death toll passes 250,000, variant spreads Issued on: India's Covid-19 death toll has passed 250,000 Arun SANKAR AFP 4 min New Delhi (AFP) India's coronavirus death toll passed 250,000 on Wednesday as the World Health Organization said the variant fuelling the surge had been found in dozens of countries across the globe. While vaccinations have helped to ease the pandemic crisis in the United States and Europe, India is in the grip of a devastating wave. Another 4,205 deaths were on Wednesday confirmed over the previous 24 hours, a national record, taking total fatalities to 254,197. But many experts believe the official numbers of people dying in India, which has one of the world's most poorly funded health care systems, are an underestimate.