Five workers were charred to death in a fire that broke out on the fifth floor of a building under construction of the main Serum Institute of India (SII) of vaccine manufacturing in the Manjari area of Pune on Thursday afternoon.
The five killed were contract workers: two from Uttar Pradesh, two from Pune district and one from Bihar. According to sources, another four people were evacuated from the building when the first fire, which was apparently caused by an electrical failure, broke out around 2 p.m.
A second, relatively minor fire occurred at 7 pm on the third floor of the same building. Both fires have been brought under control, fire department authorities said.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the fire had not in any way damaged the IBS ‘Covishield’ vaccine storage, which is located at a distance from the fire.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who has spoken with SII Executive Director Adar Poonawalla, will visit the SII unit in Manjri on Friday, the Chief Minister’s Office said.
Tope said the fire broke out as workers were engaged in isolation work in the building at M SEZ III (in Gopalpatti in the Manjari area), which is also home to the largest COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing plant for SII.
“Work was being done related to the installation of the rotavirus plant in the building. The fire occurred when a spark during welding fell on flammable material, further aggravating the fire. At least five firefighters and three tanker trucks were taken to the scene. It took about two or three hours to put out the fire. After the fire was finally extinguished, authorities found five bodies inside the building, ”said Mr. Tope. Information on more casualties, if any, will be duly transmitted, he added.
₹ 25 lakh for each of the families of the deceased
Cyrus S. Poonawalla, President and Managing Director, SII, said the institute would offer compensation of ₹ 25 lakh to each of the families of the deceased, in addition to the amount required under the regulations.
“Today is a very sad day for all of us at the Serum Institute of India. Unfortunately, there was loss of life in the fire that broke out at our facility located in the Manjri Special Economic Zone. We are deeply saddened and offer our condolences to the families of the deceased. In this regard, we would like to extend our appreciation to everyone for their concerns and prayers during these distressing times, ”said Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla, in a statement.
Mr. Adar Poonawalla tweeted: “We have just received some disturbing updates; Upon further investigation, we learn that there has unfortunately been some loss of life in the incident. We are deeply saddened and offer our condolences to the families of the deceased. “
In another tweet, Poonawalla, while thanking police and fire personnel, said that the SII assured all governments and the public that there would be no loss in production of ‘Covishield’ due to the multiple production buildings that had been held in reserve to deal with such contingencies at the Manjari complex.
Billowing plumes of smoke were seen from the affected unit in the late afternoon, raising concerns about possible damage to the ‘Covishield’ manufacturing unit.
Ajit Pawar Directive
Maharashtra’s Senior Deputy Minister Ajit Pawar, who visited the crash site later in the evening, led an immediate investigation into the cause of the fire. He commissioned the authorities to carry out a fire audit.
“I have received information about the fire from the Pune Police Commissioner and have conducted a thorough investigation into the accident. Concerns are being expressed at home and abroad regarding the safety of this project. However, I would like to clarify that based on the information received, the Corona Preventive Vaccine Project is safe. At present, putting out the fire and controlling the damage caused by the fire is a priority, ”he said.
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