PUNE, India – At least five people have been killed in a fire that broke out Thursday in a building under construction at Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, officials said. The company said the fire would not affect the production of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Murlidhar Mohol, mayor of Pune city in the southern state of 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 extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
Adar Poonwala, CEO of Serum Institue of India, said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of life.
He said there will be no reduction in vaccine production because the company has other available facilities.
The company said the fire is limited to a new factory it is setting up to increase COVID-19 vaccine production and ensure it is better prepared for future pandemics.
The fire did not affect the existing facilities that make COVID-19 vaccines, or a stockpile of approximately 50 million doses.
Images showed large plumes of smoke from the building and dozens of workers from the company in laboratory suits left the complex while firefighters worked to put out the fire.
Serum Institute of India is the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines and has been contracted to manufacture one billion doses of 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 2021. The new facility is part of the expansion.
Of the more than 12 billion doses of coronavirus vaccine expected to be produced this year, rich countries have already bought about 9 billion, and many have options to buy even more. As a result, Serum Institute is likely to make most of the vaccines that will be used by developing countries.
By RAFIQ MAQBOOL Associated Press