Man dies after hot water pipe burst in Moscow apartment building

On Wednesday, February 4, a hot water pipe burst in an apartment building on Chertanovskaya Street in southern Moscow. The accident resulted in one death, the district administration confirmed to MSK1.RU.

“An ambulance arrived, apparently trying to save the pensioner. He died. When I entered the entrance, there was still steam and water on the floor. Social media posts said the building lost power, but it has been restored,” Alla, a resident of the building where the accident occurred, told MSK1.RU.

According to Moskovsky Komsomolets, the deceased man was 72 years old. He was returning from the store when a pipe burst in the entrance. The gushing boiling water scalded the man. Neighbors heard his screams and called an ambulance. According to neighbors, the victim died during resuscitation — his skin had peeled off down to the bone.

The Moscow Prosecutor’s Office reported that investigators have opened a criminal case into the incident, and its progress and investigation are being monitored by the agency.

The Chertanovo District Administration said that utility workers are currently at the scene, and their work is being coordinated by local officials.

The building where the accident occurred is maintained by the State Budgetary Institution (GBU) «Zhilishchnik raiona Chertanovo Yuzhnoye» (Housing Department of Chertanovo Yuzhnoye District). The editorial team tried to contact the utility workers by the number listed on the website, but no one answered. MSK1.RU then personally contacted the head of the GBU, Stanislav Kochetkov.

“I am currently on vacation. I know there was a pipe burst, employees are working at the scene. The causes of the incident will be determined later,” said Stanislav Kochetkov, head of the GBU «Zhilishchnik raiona Chertanovo Yuzhnoye,» to MSK1.RU.

Local residents note that the burst on Chertanovskaya Street is not an isolated incident. Problems occur in buildings on neighboring streets as well.

“At 18k1 Podolskikh Kursantov Street, a similar situation occurred yesterday evening! Only an elderly woman managed to exit the entrance a second before,” wrote a user in a local chat.

Earlier, we reported on a utility accident in Zhukovsky, Moscow Region, where dozens of homes lost heating in winter. We also wrote about which regions saw the biggest increases in utility tariffs.