Aquarium Explosion Unleashes 1,500 Fish Into Hotel, Video Shows

The largest freestanding aquarium in the world, rising 82 feet high in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Germany's capital Berlin, was destroyed overnight, killing 1,500 fish.

A social media user claiming to be a guest at the hotel shared a video showing the shattered aquarium, writing that "the fish tank of my hotel just exploded in the middle of the night."

"The tank in our hotel...blew?" wrote another on Twitter, sharing an image of the destruction.

Local media—such as RBB and DW—have confirmed the incident, reporting that police said a blast was heard around 5:45 a.m. local time at the tourist attraction and parts of the Radisson's facade where the aquarium was located flew onto the streets.

Berlin's traffic agency VIZ reported an "extremely large volume of water" spilling over into the street outside the hotel, according to DW. The Associated Press reported that one million liters (about 265,000 gallons) of water poured out of the aquarium.

The mass of water rushing out of the building forced emergency services to close a major road next to the complex housing the aquarium and the hotel in the center of Berlin.

Berlin's fire service said that more than 100 first responders had been called to the scene of the incident. "The aquarium is damaged, water is leaking. The situation is not clear at the moment," the Berlin fire brigade wrote on Twitter, as quoted by DW.

Berlin police wrote on Twitter that, "in addition to the unbelievable maritime damage... two people were injured by glass splinters."

Sandra Weeser, a German lawmaker staying in the hotel, was woken up by a large bang.

"There are shards (of glass) everywhere. The furniture, everything has been flooded with water," she told the AP. "It looks a bit like a war zone."

Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey said that there could have been more injuries had the incident happened later in the day. "Despite all the destruction, we were still very lucky," she said. She added that none of the fish could be saved.

The cause of the incident is still being investigated, though there has been speculation that the burst might have been caused by freezing temperatures in the German city. Outside temperatures on Friday this morning stood around 19.4 F.

The aquarium—a Sea Life tourist attraction called AquaDom—greeted guests upon arrival at the luxurious hotel. It stood above the hotel's bar, allowing visitors to have a drink or dine under the aquarium. It was home to more than 100 species and 1,500 specimens of tropical fish, according to Radisson's website.

To get a closer look to the fish in the aquarium, people could access a two-story glass platform in the center via a 10-minute elevator ride.

The aquarium cost about 12.8 million euros ($13.6 million) to build and was completed in December 2003.

Update 12/16/2022 4:15 a.m. ET: This article was updated to offer more context on the initial breaking news story.

Update 12/16/2022 8:25 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.