Pune: 5 dead in Serum Institute fire; Covishield vaccine production plant safe

At least 5 people were reported dead after a fire engulfed an under construction unit of Punersquos Serum Institute of India SII on Thursday afternoon Health Minister Rajesh Tope confirmedFive charred bodies recovered from Serum Institute of India building where fire broke out in afternoon news agency PTI quoted a fire official as sayingNine people were evacuated safely from the building a PTI report stated Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla tweeted about the incidentWe 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 departedmdash Adar Poonawalla adarpoonawalla January 21 2021Firefighters try to control a fire that broke out at Indias Serum Institute in Pune on January 21 2021 Photo AFPThe new unit at Manjri SEZ which is not fully functional yet has several new buildings The fire started on one of the upper floors of a building The police was alerted at around 245pm and fire was brought under control by 5pm by the Pune Fire Service Fire tenders reached the spot and started work on dousing the fire immediately Officials said that 15 fire tenders were pressed into the serviceSII officials said that the Covishield vaccine jointly developed by AztraZeneca and University of Oxford is produced and stocked at its Hinjewadi manufacturing facility located several kms away from the fireravaged unit in ManjariWATCH Maharashtra 10 fire tenders present at Serum Institute of India in Pune where a fire broke out at Terminal 1 gate More details awaited httpstcowria89t22t pictwittercomu960KTR7JSmdash ANI ANI January 21 2021Preliminary reports said the fire broke out when welding work was being carried outUnion Minister Prakash Javadekar Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar Health Minister Tope FDA Minister Rajendra Shingne and others spoke with the SII top brass to apprise themselves of the exact scenarioThough sabotage has been ruled out in view of the national and global concerns the tragedy evoked Pawar said that a thorough probe would be conducted into the incident while reiterating that the Covidshield line facility was unaffectedVisiting the site Shiv Sena workers wing Bharatiya Kamgar Senas General Secretary Raghunath Kuchik accorded a MoS rank termed the tragedy as shocking and accidental and hoped that there are no more casualtiesWith inputs from agencies