A huge aquarium in Berlin exploded on Friday, sending glass, water and hundreds of tropical fish pouring out of the Sea Life tourist attraction in the heart of the German capital.
A wave of debris washed away the building, which also contains a hotel, cafes and a chocolate shop, while 1 million liters of water gushed out of the aquarium.
Berlin’s fire service said two people suffered minor injuries from broken glass. Rescue dogs were searching the building for anyone who might be trapped under the debris, they said. The AquaDom aquarium at the Sea Life tourist attraction is pictured in Berlin, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. / After a huge aquarium exploded, a hotel atrium is devastated in Berlin, Germany, Friday, June 16 December 2022. (instagram/tnn/dpa via AP) (AP) Sea Life operators say the 25-meter-tall AquaDom was the world’s largest cylindrical tank and held more than a thousand tropical fish before the incident. Among the 80 types of fish it housed were bluefish and clownfish, the species made famous by the popular animated film “Finding Nemo.”
“We haven’t been able to walk all the way through the first floor yet, which is probably where these fish are going to be,” fire spokesman Adrian Wentzel said.
“But the fact is that the water has completely leaked out and these 1,400 or so fish that were in this aquarium could not be saved either.”
Operators say the aquarium has the largest cylindrical tank in the world. It contained 1,500 tropical fish before the incident. (Joerg Carstensen via DPA) (AP) The aftermath of the aquarium explosion at the Berlin hotel. (instagram/tnn/dpa via AP) (Instagram/AP)
It was speculated that freezing temperatures that dropped to 10 degrees Celsius overnight caused a crack in the tank, which then exploded under the weight of the water. Police said there was no evidence the incident was the result of an attack.
About 300 guests and employees had to be evacuated from the hotel surrounding the aquarium, police said.
Sandra Weeser, a German lawmaker staying at the hotel, said she was awakened by a loud explosion and thought there might have been an earthquake.
Emergency workers respond to the scene of a giant broken aquarium. (Getty) Debris is strewn across the front of the Berlin hotel after the aquarium exploded in the cold. (AP)
“There are fragments (of glass) everywhere. The furniture, everything is flooded,” he said. “It looks a bit like a war zone.”
The aquarium, which was last modernized in 2020, is a major tourist magnet in Berlin. The 10-minute elevator ride through the tropical tank was one of the highlights of the attraction.