NOUMEA -- Two men have tested positive for swine flu in New Caledonia, the first cases in the French Pacific Ocean territory, authorities here said.

The two, who are aged in their 20s, have both spent time in Australia, one of the countries worst-hit by the A(H1N1) outbreak, health officials said Friday.

The men have been placed in quarantine in the capital Noumea and have been prescribed the anti-viral drug Tamiflu.

New Caledonia sits 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) east of Australia and is connected to its neighbour by daily flights.

The Australian government says it has confirmed 3,519 cases of swine flu, of whom five people have died.

Globally, the World Health Organization says nearly 60,000 cases of the disease have now been recorded, with 263 deaths.