A major fire has broken out on the fourth and fifth floor of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ 3) building in the Serum Institute plant at Manjri in Pune. Although the cause of the fire is not certain, the Manjri facility is apparently the one where Covishield vaccine is being made.

However, reports have revealed that this accident would not affect the production of the coronavirus vaccine as the fire broke out in a facility away from the place where the vaccines are manufactured.

“We 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 departed.”, tweeted Adar Poonawalla, Chief Executive Officer, Serum Institute of India, Pune, while expressing condolences after five people died due to the fire.

Back in 2019, the company had announced an investment of over Rs 3000 crore for the Manjri plant that operates with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for an enhanced production quantity.