A giant aquarium at Berlin’s Radisson Blu hotel’s main lobby exploded yesterday and contained a million liters of water which was the home to around 1,500 fish.
Aquadom, the name of the giant aquarium was 15.85 meters high and held the tag of being the largest free-standing cylindrical aquarium in the world. The incident led to the injuries of two persons after the glass fell which led to the blast.
The investigating team of police on the matter said that the damage has been “incredible.” Soon after the incident, the videos of the incident from the main hotel lobby went viral showing water pouring on the floor with the scene of a heavy trail of destruction on the ground. Based on the media reports the hotel staff safely escorted the guests out of the hotel owing to the latter’s security.
A spokesman for Berlin's fire brigade told the media the vast majority of the fish had died, while the cold weather had made rescue attempts more difficult. The tank contained more than 100 different species.
Outside the Radisson Blu, a pile of debris lay in front of what were the front doors, which now hang into the street - twisted at an angle by the force of the exploding tank.
Watch the Video Here:
#BREAKING Explosion in Berlin hotel
— Russian Market (@runews) December 16, 2022
A huge free-standing cylindrical aquarium at the Domaquaree hotel in Berlin has exploded. According to the hotel website, the aquarium had 1500 exotic fish who met their demise today https://t.co/Yd8wtGM3nH pic.twitter.com/N3x0vbLDpy
The Mayor of Berlin Franziska Giffey went to the hotel to see the damage and described the tank burst as being like a tsunami. She went on to express her grief but was relieved that it happened early in the morning, saying had it been an hour early or late, it could have cost a huge as the lobby is generally busy with visitors, mostly children.
Sandra Weeser, a member of the German federal parliament who had been staying at the hotel, told local television that she had been woken up by "a kind of shock wave" and described the scene outside the hotel as a "picture of devastation".
She said fish that may have been saved had frozen to death and recalled seeing a "large parrotfish lying on the ground, frozen". Reportedly, the aquarium was modernized two years back and there is a clear-walled lift built inside for use by visitors. Some of the rooms in the hotel are advertised as having views of it.
More than 100 firefighters were rushed to the spot to tackle the situation there, although there has been no clear-cut information about what led to the break.
It said it used rescue dogs to check the area inside the hotel for anyone potentially injured, but nobody was found. The police said that “massive amounts” of water were flowing into nearby streets raising alarm for people to drive cautiously.