As many as five people died in the fire that broke out at Serum Institute of India's (SII) Manjari plant on Thursday afternoon. A total of six people have been rescued from the spot.
"The five people who died were perhaps the workers at the under-construction building. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained but it is being speculated that welding, that was going on at the building, caused the fire," said Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol.
Adar Poonawalla, the Chief executive officer (CEO) and owner of SII expressed grief over the loss of lives.
"We have just received some distressing updates; upon further investigation, we've learnt that there has unfortunately been some loss of life. We are deeply saddened and offer our deepest condolences to family members of the departed," Poonawalla tweeted.
Check out the pictures of the incident:
Firefighters try to control a fire that broke out at Indias Serum Institute in Pune on January 21, 2021. - A fire broke out on January 21 at Indias Serum Institute, the worlds largest maker of vaccines, local TV footage showed, but media reports said production of the Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine was not affected. | AFP Photo
Pune: Smoke billows out after a massive fire broke out at the Serum Institute of India, in Pune, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. The facility had rolled out its Covishield vaccine for the first phase of COVID vaccination drive that began on Jan 16 | PTI Photo
Smoke rises after a fire broke out at Indias Serum Institute in Pune on January 21, 2021. - A fire broke out on January 21 at Indias Serum Institute, the worlds largest maker of vaccines, local TV footage showed, but media reports said production of the Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine was not affected. | AFP Photo
Firefighters try to control a fire that broke out at Indias Serum Institute in Pune on January 21, 2021. - A fire broke out on January 21 at Indias Serum Institute, the worlds largest maker of vaccines, local TV footage showed, but media reports said production of the Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine was not affected. | AFP Photo
Pune: Workers of Serum Institute of India come out of the building after fire broke out in it, in Pune, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021 | PTI Photo
People stand as smoke rises after a fire broke out at Indias Serum Institute in Pune on January 21, 2021. - A fire broke out on January 21 at Indias Serum Institute, the worlds largest maker of vaccines, but a company source said production of drugs to prevent Covid-19 coronavirus was not affected | AFP Photo
Firefighters try to control a fire that broke out at Indias Serum Institute in Pune on January 21, 2021. - A fire broke out on January 21 at Indias Serum Institute, the worlds largest maker of vaccines, local TV footage showed, but media reports said production of the Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine was not affected. | AFP Photo
People stand outside the Indias Serum Institute after a fire broke out, in Pune on January 21, 2021. - A fire broke out on January 21 at Indias Serum Institute, the worlds largest maker of vaccines, but a company source said production of drugs to prevent Covid-19 coronavirus was not affected. | AFP Photo
Workers wearing protective gear walk after a fire broke out at Indias Serum Institute in Pune on January 21, 2021. - A fire broke out on January 21 at Indias Serum Institute, the worlds largest maker of vaccines, but a company source said production of drugs to prevent Covid-19 coronavirus was not affected. | AFP Photo
