Coronavirus: five dead after fire hits world’s biggest vaccine maker in India; Japan’s Tokyo sees more than 30,000 cases in a month
- The fire at the Serum Institute, which is making millions of dose of coronavirus vaccine, has not affected production
- Elsewhere, Indonesia reported a record 346 deaths on Thursday and Mongolia’s PM resigned over Covid-19 protests
Rescuers discovered five bodies in the under-construction building after the blaze at the Serum Institute of India was brought under control, media reports said, with officials in the western city of Pune confirming the toll.
Television channels showed thick clouds of grey smoke billowing from the sprawling site in Pune, which is responsible for producing millions of doses of the Covishield coronavirus vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University
“It is not going to affect production of the Covid-19 vaccine,” a Serum Institute source said, adding that the blaze was at a new facility being built on the 100-acre (40-hectare) campus.
A fire official told reporters that “three or four people were inside” when the blaze broke out, but all had been rescued.
Many other countries are relying on the Serum Institute to supply them with vaccines.
