At least five people have died in a fire in a building under construction at the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker, but the company says it will not affect COVID-19 vaccine production.
PUNE, India – At least five people were killed in a fire that broke out Thursday in a building under construction at India’s Serum Institute, the world’s largest vaccine maker, officials said. The company said the fire would not affect COVID-19 vaccine production.
Murlidhar Mohol, the mayor of Pune in southern Maharashtra, said five bodies were found in the rubble after the flames were extinguished by firefighters.
Mahol said the victims were probably construction workers. He said the cause of the fire had not been determined and the degree of damage was not immediately clear.
India’s CEO Serar Institue, Adar Poonwala, said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of human lives.
He said there will be no reduction in vaccine production as the company has other facilities available.
The company said the fire was limited to a new facility it is building to increase production of COVID-19 vaccines and ensure it is better prepared for future pandemics.
He said the fire did not affect existing facilities producing COVID-19 vaccines or a deposit of about 50 million doses.
The images showed huge puffs of smoke coming out of the building and dozens of company workers in lab suits were leaving the complex as firefighters worked to put out the blaze.
Serum Institute of India is the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world and has been contracted to produce one billion doses of AstraZeneca / Oxford University vaccine.
Poonawalla said in an interview with The Associated Press last month that it hopes to increase production capacity from 1.5 billion doses to 2.5 billion doses per year by the end of 2021. The new facility is part of the expansion.