The Cascade of a High-Function Aquarium in Berlin: Firefighters fought to save the hotel’s atrium
A 46-foot high aquarium that was home to over a thousand exotic fish burst in central Berlin, causing at least two people injuries and sending a flood of water and debris onto a nearby street.
The catastrophic rupture of the AquaDom aquarium took place around 5:45 a.m. local time, sending 1 million liters (more than a quarter of a million gallons) of salt water — and fish — pouring into the hotel’s atrium and lobby and out into the street, as dozens of emergency response workers raced to the scene.
Adrian Wentzel, a spokesman for the fire department, said the incident happened in the early morning. It is local time. The hotel’s glass was swept into the street by the nearby street. Emergency services had to shut down a major road due to the large amount of water flooding out. The cause of the incident is still being investigated.
People who were staying in the hotel woke up to a loud crash, only to realize that the enormous fish tank was gone. The hotel’s atrium was strewn with dead fish and debris after the calamity, according to witnesses.
The AquaDom aquarium was touted as the largest freestanding cylindrical aquarium in the world. The aquarium dominated the large atrium of the Radisson Collection Hotel — where the mass of water blew parts of the hotel’s façade into the road and left the building badly damaged, the Berlin fire brigade said.
The AquaDom aquarium collapse collapsed on Friday, Dec. 24: The Istanbul aquarium’s owner and public can’t be at a hotel in the central district
“We are dismayed at the accident and wish the two injured persons all the best and a speedy recovery. We would also like to express our dismay to our affected tenants,” the statement read.
“We are currently trying to get a more precise picture of the situation and the damage caused in coordination with the police and fire brigade on site,” it said.
The enormous cylindrical aquarium was a wonder, the centerpiece of a popular Berlin hotel. After it burst in the early hours of Friday, Berlin Mayor Giffey said that all the fish in the aquarium were dead. Reports later emerged that workers might have been able to rescue some of the animals.
The building’s owner says the AquaDom aquarium was completely destroyed, and that the cause is not yet known. The hotel is now closed because of the damage, Radisson says, adding that all guests are being relocated.
If more people were at the hotel in the busy Mitte district after the aquarium collapse, the toll might have been much higher, according to Berlin Mayor Giffey.