A huge aquarium containing thousands of tropical fish has exploded inside a hotel lobby in Germany. The unexpected accident happened on Friday, December 16, at the Radisson Blu hotel in Berlin, Germany. The fish tank explosion caused damage to the hotel and streets nearby.
The AquaDom is 14 meters tall. It holds 1,500 tropical fish from over 100 species. It is the world’s largest free-standing cylindrical fish tank.
Visitors claimed they heard a loud noise like a thunderclap while the glass across the lobby was scattered.
Look at what happened:
Staying in the @Radisson Collection in Berlin, where the huge aquarium (part of @SEALIFEAquarium) has shattered and flooded the hotel lobby. Apparently nobody has been hurt, fingers crossed that is true. I was woken up at 4:30 ish by a rumbling beneath us #berlin #sealife pic.twitter.com/hbRlchp0Zs
— Chris Woolley (@ChrisWoolleyy) December 16, 2022
SeaLife opened in December 2003. The company runs attractions all over the world. They posted on its website that the aquarium was temporarily closed for visitors, suggesting they had to reschedule their tickets.
Footages show the damage caused to the aquarium and the lobby, which is why around 350 guests had to pick up their belongings and move out. A source says that at least two people have been hurt, and it has caused “incredible maritime damage.”
At least two people have been injured when a large aquarium burst at a hotel in central Berlin, police say.
The incident also caused “incredible maritime damage.” pic.twitter.com/yrrzRUYQUz
— DW News (@dwnews) December 16, 2022
A member of the Berlin fire brigade confirmed that emergency workers found it difficult to get to the ground floor because of the broken things but the rescue dogs were on their way.
Rumors say that recent freezing temperatures may have caused a leak in the aquarium. On the other hand, authorities claim they are still looking into what happened.
The tank in our hotel….blew? #berlin #radisson #hotel #aquarium pic.twitter.com/4pfheKSc4G
— Larissa (@lararimmer) December 16, 2022
The aquarium is one of the most popular tourist spots in Berlin. The hotel even had an elevator, which offered a 10-minute ride through the middle of the tank.
Another source says that buses were sent to the resort to take the guest moving out and send them somewhere else to stay because it is about -7 degrees in Berlin.
The incident with the huge aquarium made emergency services close the road next to it because of the water coming out of the building.