Pradeep Singh

Pune: A fire has reportedly broken out at the premises of the Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune. Visuals of the blaze show a thick plume of smoke emerging from office buildings at the complex on Thursday.

The SII, whose CEO is Adar Poonawalla, complex houses a vaccine-manufacturing plant.

The Serum Institute of India is the manufacturer of the Covishield COVID-19 vaccine which has been developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca. Covishield inoculation has begun across India while the vaccine is also being shipped to other countries.

As per the Pune fire brigade, the fire broke out at the Terminal 1 gate. 4 fire trucks are at the spot, reported Republic World. However, fire continues to rage at the fourth and fifth floors of SEZ3 building inside Terminal Gate 1. 10 fire tenders are engaged at the spot to bring the fire under control.

As per latest reports, the fire broke out at an under-construction building. The vaccine and vaccine manufacturing plant are safe.

The SII is the manufacturer of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, Covishied which is one of the first COVID-19 vaccines in India to get restricted emergency-use approval.

The Serum Institute was founded by Cyrus Poonawalla in 1966.

(It's a breaking story. Refresh the page for updates.)

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