Russian hotel pipe bursts, killing five in Perm

The mini-hotel Caramel is located in the basement of a building

At least five people have died after a basement hotel in the Russian city of Perm was flooded with boiling water, officials say.

They say another three people with burns were taken to hospital.

The overnight incident at the mini-hotel Caramel was the result of a burst hot water pipe in the city, close to the Ural mountains east of Moscow.

A criminal case has been opened on the grounds of failure to meet health and safety requirements.

The victims' bodies were found after the water was pumped out of the hotel.

Media reports say that a child was among those who died.

The victims are yet to be officially identified.

Numerous violations of safety requirements were reported when the hotel was last inspected in February, MBKh Media reports.