At least five people died in a fire that broke out in a building under construction at the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, but the company says it will not affect the production of the COVID-19 vaccine.
PUNE, India – At least five people died in a fire that broke out Thursday in a building under construction at the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker, officials said. The company said the fire would not affect the production of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Murlidhar Mohol, mayor of the city of Pune, in the south of the state of Maharashtra, said five bodies were found in the rubble after the flames were extinguished by the firefighters.
Mahol said the victims were probably construction workers. He said the cause of the fire had not been determined and the extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
Serum Institue of India CEO Adar Poonwala said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of life.
He said there would be no reduction in vaccine manufacturing because the company has other facilities available.
The company said the fire was restricted to a new facility it is building to increase production of COVID-19 vaccines and ensure that it is better prepared for future pandemics.
He said the fire did not affect existing facilities that produce COVID-19 vaccines or a stock of about 50 million doses.
The images showed huge columns of smoke coming out of the building and dozens of company workers in lab suits leaving the complex while firefighters worked to extinguish the fire.
The Serum Institute of India is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer and has been contracted to manufacture one billion doses of the AstraZeneca / Oxford University vaccine.
Poonawalla said in an interview with The Associated Press last month that he 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.