Giant aquarium home to 1,500 fish bursts at Berlin hotel

Two people were injured by flying glass as the sea life attraction, which was the biggest of its kind in the world, exploded this morning.

Friday 16 December 2022 12:59, UK

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Massive aquarium bursts
Why you can trust Sky News

A massive aquarium has burst in Berlin, spilling one million litres of water and 1,500 tropical fish on to the lobby of a hotel and nearby streets.

Two people were injured by flying glass, according to the emergency services, as the 25m-high tank exploded.

Hundreds of hotel guests had to be evacuated.

Atrium of the DomAquarée Hotel with a massive aquarium in the middle. Berlin, Germany
Image: The aquarium was the biggest cylindrical tank in the world

Guests staying at the Radisson hotel heard a loud noise at 5.45am that sounded like a bomb, one witness told n-tv, a local news channel.

More than 100 police and fire brigade workers were at the scene.

The attraction, called the Aquadom, was the world's biggest freestanding cylindrical tank.

Water flooded from the complex, which also holds a museum, shops and cafes, into Karl Liebknecht Strasse, a major road, which was closed after the incident.

The road and pavements outside the complex were littered with debris.

"All 400 guests who were staying at the Radisson hotel have been evacuated," DW correspondent Anna Saraste tweeted on Friday morning.

"They are waiting to be transported to another hotel in Berlin."

Emergency services work on a street outside a hotel after a leak of the AquaDom aquarium in central Berlin near Alexanderplatz, with water poured out onto the street, in Berlin, Germany, December 16, 2022. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi
Image: More than 100 emergency services workers attended the scene
16 December 2022, Berlin: Debris lies on Karl-Liebknecht-Stra'e in front of a hotel. In the hotel, a huge aquarium had sprung a leak. Water poured out onto the street. Photo by: Christoph Soeder/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images PIC:AP
Image: Debris lies on Karl Liebknecht Strasse in front of the hotel complex

Emergency services provided warm spaces for the guests as temperatures in the German capital on Friday morning were around -7C (19.4F).

The aquarium is a major tourist magnet in Berlin.

Visitors can take a 10-minute elevator ride through the tank, which is one of the highlights of the attraction.

16 December 2022, Berlin: Debris lies on Karl-Liebknecht-Stra'e in front of a hotel. In the hotel, a huge aquarium had sprung a leak. Water poured out onto the street. PIC:AP
Image: Thousands of litres of water poured out on to the street
A view of debris on the street outside a hotel after a burst and leak of the AquaDom aquarium in central Berlin

Police refused to comment on what had caused the tank to burst, but there was local speculation that freezing temperatures had contributed to the incident.

The Radisson said: "The aquarium of the Aquadom Berlin which is located in the Radisson Collection hotel, Berlin, collapsed.

"As far as we know to date, no guests were injured and together with the authorities we are looking into the cause of the incident.

"We have immediately closed the hotel until further notice and are relocating guests."

Related Topics