Giant aquarium home to 1,500 fish bursts at Berlin hotel | World News
A giant aquarium has burst in Berlin, spilling a million liters of water and 1,500 tropical fish into the lobby of a hotel and nearby streets.
According to emergency services, two people were injured by flying glass when the 25m-tall tank exploded.
Hundreds of hotel guests had to be evacuated.
A witness told German channel n-tv that guests staying at the Radisson hotel heard a loud noise at 5:45 a.m. that sounded like a bomb.
More than 100 police and firefighters were at the scene.
The attraction, called Aquadom, is the world’s largest freestanding cylindrical tank.
Water spilled from the complex, which also houses museums, shops and cafes, into Karl Liebknecht Strasse, a major road, which was closed following the incident.
The road and sidewalk outside the complex were littered with debris.
“All 400 guests staying at the Radisson Hotel have been evacuated,” DW reporter Anna Saraste wrote on Twitter Friday morning.
“They are waiting to be transferred to another hotel in Berlin.”
Emergency services provided a warm space for guests as the temperature in the German capital on Friday morning was around -7C (19.4F).
The aquarium is a major tourist magnet in Berlin.
Visitors can take a 10-minute lift over the pool, which is one of the highlights of the attraction.
Police declined to comment on what caused the tank to explode, but locals speculated that freezing temperatures contributed to the incident.
The Radisson said: “Aquadom Berlin, located in the Radisson Collection hotel in Berlin, has collapsed.
“As far as we know, no guests have been injured and together with the authorities, we are investigating the cause of the incident.
“We have immediately closed the hotel until further notice and are relocating guests.”