A 16-meter-high aquarium burst near Berlin’s cathedral on Friday morning. That said a police spokesman who was on the scene. There was a “really loud noise” around 5:45 am. Parts of the facade of the hotel in which the aquarium was located were thrown onto the street. Two people were injured and the hotel was evacuated.
The fire brigade reported on Twitter in the morning: “The aquarium is damaged, water is leaking. The situation is not clear at the moment.” There are 100 emergency services in Hotel DomAquarée and 100 police officers were on site.
“Aquarium Suddenly Burst”
According to the fire service, the gigantic tank with a million liters of water was destroyed in a very short time. “If the aquarium is defective, it suddenly bursts open,” says a spokesman for the fire brigade. “It’s not a small crack where the water is leaking out, but the whole aquarium suddenly burst open.” All approximately 1,500 fish that lived in it died.
Floor searched with rescue dogs
A large part of the water probably ran through the doors on the ground floor into the street and into the canal. Not much water was found in the cellars. The destroyed ground floor was searched for people with rescue dogs. Due to the considerable damage, the hotel guests also had to leave the building, according to a spokesperson for the fire service. There were still about 350 people in the hotel.
The traffic information center in Berlin tweeted that Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse, where the hotel with the giant aquarium is located, was closed. “There is a lot of water on the road. So far, the cause is still unclear.” The location is very close to Berlin’s Alexanderplatz with the famous television tower.
In the building complex called DomAquarée is the large aquarium Sea Life and the so-called AquaDom with 1500 tropical fish, a well-known attraction in Berlin for many tourists. Photos and videos posted to Twitter show massive destruction of the hotel lobby (see tweets above).
Largest cylindrical aquarium in the world
As stated on the DomAquarée website, the AquaDom is the “largest freestanding cylindrical aquarium in the world” and was extensively modernized by the summer of 2020. It was filled with 1000 cubic meters of water weighing 1000 tons.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
