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Five killed as burst hot water pipe floods Russian hotel
MOSCOW, Jan 20, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – At least five people including a child
died in the Russian city of Perm on Monday when a broken heating pipe flooded
their hotel rooms with scalding water, investigators said.
The accident happened in a small private hotel located in the basement of
an apartment block in the industrial city in the Urals region, some 1,100
kilometres (700 miles) east of Moscow.
“At least five people died and a further three were taken to hospital with
burns,” the Investigative Committee, which probes major incidents, said in
statement.
Those who died were all staying at the Karamel hotel, which has five
single and double rooms, according to its website.
The hotel did not have an emergency exit while the water pipe that burst
dated back to 1962, the building’s managing company said in a statement.
Hot water is piped under streets at a high temperature to supply homes in
Russia and when these pipes burst, the scalding water and steam can cause
fatal accidents, with cars sometimes plunging into holes that open up in
roads.
Investigators have opened a criminal probe into provision of dangerous
services to consumers.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1749 hrs