A massive aquarium inside Berlin’s Radisson Blu hotel exploded on Friday, sending 264,000 gallons of water and 1,500 fish out onto a nearby street.
CNN reports the AquaDom aquarium, a tourist attraction located in the lobby of the Radisson Collection hotel, exploded before 6 a.m. local time Friday. Around 100 emergency responders rushed to the site, as hundreds of guests were evacuated from the establishment. Two people, including a hotel employee, were treated for injuries from splinters of glass.
According to Sea Life Berlin, the 82-foot German AquaDom was the “largest, cylindrical, free-standing aquarium in the world.”
“Just chaos,” a guest told Reuters. “The whole aquarium burst and what’s left is total devastation. Lots of dead fish, debris. It is quite a drama.”
Union Investment Real Estate, which owns the AquaDom, confirmed the aquarium was completely destroyed.
“We are dismayed by the accident and wish the injured persons all the best and a speedy recovery,” Union Investment Real Estate stated. “There are still smaller aquariums that were not destroyed. Rescue workers are currently working with the operator to try to save the fish from these aquariums.”
A spokesperson for the fire brigade told Reuters it’s still unclear what had caused the AquaDom aquarium to burst, though authorities think it could have happened due to freezing overnight temperatures, which may have caused a crack in the glass.
