World

Fire hits building at world’s largest vaccine maker in India

The Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is being rolled out as part of a mass immunisation programme
The Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is being rolled out as part of a mass immunisation programme The Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is being rolled out as part of a mass immunisation programme

A fire has broken out at a building under construction at the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer.

The incident did not immediately affect a stockpile of Covid-19 vaccine, officials said.

Images showed huge plumes of smoke billowing from buildings as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze in Pune, a city in India’s southern Maharashtra state.

AstraZeneca has contracted with the Serum Institute of India to make one billion doses of its Covid-19 vaccine for developing nations, including India.