Two die in Ranbaxy plant fire
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Ranbaxy Laboratories is India's biggest drug maker by sales.
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NEW DELHI, India -- Two people were killed and 18 injured in an explosion and fire at a plant in Punjab state owned by leading drug maker Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, a company official said.
The fire broke out late on Wednesday evening in Ranbaxy factory in Mohali, near Chandigarh, the capital of India's northern Punjab state,
Ranbaxy said the fire would have no material impact on its business, and production at its six other plants could overcome any shortfall.
The Mohali factory makes bulk drugs, including cephalosporin.
"The fire was brought under control in two hours and its cause and the extent of the damage is now being ascertained," Sanjiv Kaul, Ranbaxy's corporate affairs vice-president, told Reuters on Thursday.
"We succeeded in localizing the fire so this will have no material impact to our business," Kaul added.
Kaul said the blast and the fire occurred at the solvent recovery section of the facility. He said there was no damage to the rest of the plant which was now operating normally.
Shares in Ranbaxy are 1.54 percent lower at 689.50 rupees in Thursday morning trade.
The company, India's largest pharmaceuticals maker with sales of about $760 million, said earlier this year it planned to launch a generic version of the anti-allergy drug Claritin by mid-year.
