Serum Institute fire: Rahul Gandhi urges state govt to provide necessary help to victims, kin

New Delhi, Jan 21: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said it was distressing to learn of the tragic loss of lives in a fire incident at a Serum Institute of India facility and urged the state government to provide necessary help to the victims and their families.

Five persons died and nine were evacuated from a building in the Serum Institute of India''s Manjari premises in Pune after a fire broke out at the facility on Thursday, police said. Fire broke out again at the facility later in the day.

"While it''s distressing to learn of the tragic loss of lives in the fire incident at Serum Institute, the news of another fire is extremely worrying," Gandhi said in a tweet.

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"My condolences to the family of the deceased. I request the state govt to provide necessary help to the victims & their families," he said.

The Manjari facility is where the Covishield vaccine used in the nationwide inoculation drive against the pandemic is made.

The building where the fire broke out is part of the under-construction site of the Serum facility and is one km from the Covishield manufacturing unit, sources said.

Covishield vaccine production won''t be hit due to the fire, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said.