5 die in Serum Institute fire

Five people were found dead after a massive fire broke out today at vaccine-maker Serum Institute of India's Pune facility, at a building that is under construction. It is unlikely to hit the production of Covishield, the coronavirus vaccine developed by the SII in partnership with the Oxford University and British-Swedish pharma firm AstraZeneca.

A few more trapped in the building were rescued.

"We have just received some distressing updates; upon further investigation we have learnt that there has unfortunately been some loss of life at the incident. We are deeply saddened and offer our deepest condolences to the family members of the departed," Serum CEO Adar Poonawalla tweeted.

It took around three hours for firemen to bring the blaze under control. The fire is believed to have started because of an electrical fault.

Poonawalla had earlier told NDTV: "We are trying to rescue one or two people, that's our only priority now. We will assess the situation later on the damage on all other counts."

The Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine maker, is spread over 100 acres in Pune.

Manjari, the complex where the fire broke out, is a few minutes' drive from the facility where the Covid vaccines are produced. It is believed to be part of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

About eight or nine buildings are being constructed at the Manjari complex to deal with future pandemics and these are aimed at enhancing the SII's manufacturing capability.

(Source: NDTV)