Fire breaks out at Serum Institute of India under-construction plant, vaccine production safe at a different location

A major fire broke out in an under-construction building of the Serum Institute of India (SII)'s Manjari plant here on Thursday afternoon, officials said. There are no immediate reports of casualties.

Around 2 p.m., thick clouds of smoke could be seen billowing out of the structure in the SII complex at Manjari, said company sources.

At least 12 fire-tenders from Pune Fire Brigade rushed to the site and were battling the blaze, the cause of which is not clear.

The SII is currently under a global scanner as it has become one of the handful of pharmaceutical companies worldwide engaged in the manufacture of the Covid-19 vaccine, branded as Covishield, currently being administered to lakhs of people in India.

SII officials said that Covishield vaccine is produced and stocked at its Hinjewadi manufacturing facility, which is located around 30 kms away from Manjari.