A major fire has broken out today, on January 21, at a plant of the Serum Institute of India in Manjari area of Pune in Maharashtra. As per the initial news reports, the fire has been reported from an under-construction building of the institute. Five people have reportedly been charred to death. Fire tenders and a team of National Disaster Response Force have reached the site and fire-fighting is in progress. More details are awaited.
Serum Institute has been supplying the COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, which is part of the Indian government’s ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive. The second phase of this vaccination drive is scheduled for tomorrow, January 22. Serum Institute is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer.
Taking to Twitter, Adar Poonawalla, CEO and owner of Serum Institute, said: “I would like to reassure all governments & the public that there would be no loss of #COVISHIELD production due to multiple production buildings that I had kept in reserve to deal with such contingencies at @SerumInstIndia.
He also said that “no lives lost or major injuries due to the fire, despite a few floors being destroyed”.
The state chief minister, Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, has directed the state machinery to coordinate and ensure that the situation is under control.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief ministers of the states in the country are likely to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the second round of the inoculation drive tomorrow, January 22. Modi is also going to interact with Varanasi’s COVID-19 vaccinators, beneficiaries tomorrow.
Updating….