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BERLIN'S GIANT AQUADOM HOTEL AQUARIUM CONTAINING 1,500 FISH EXPLODES

Published
4 days ago

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Media caption,

Watch: Scenes of devastation after tank explosion at Berlin hotel

By Michael Sheils McNamee in London and Jenny Hill and Michael Steininger in
Berlin
BBC News


A giant aquarium containing a million litres of water in the lobby of the
Radisson Blu in Berlin has burst, flooding the hotel and nearby streets.

The "AquaDom" - home to 1,500 fish - is 15.85m high (52 ft) and was described as
the largest free-standing cylindrical aquarium in the world.

Two people were injured by falling glass after the blast.

Police said there had been "incredible" damage. Video showed an empty tank with
water pouring into the hotel lobby.

Guests have been moved out of the hotel following the incident at 05:50 (04:50
GMT).

A spokesman for Berlin's fire brigade told the BBC the vast majority of the fish
had died, while the cold weather had made rescue attempts more difficult. The
tank had contained more than 100 different species.



However, fire brigade official James Klein later told local media that "several
dozen" fish had been found alive in places where residual water had collected.
He said they were being rehoused in other aquariums.

Also, the Associated Press quoted officials as saying they were working to
rescue another 400-500 fish in smaller tanks under the hotel lobby which had
been deprived of oxygen because of the disaster.

Outside the Radisson Blu, a pile of debris lay in front of what were the front
doors, which now hang into the street - twisted at an angle by the force of the
exploding tank.

Image source, Reuters /Michele Tantussi
Image caption,
More than 100 fire fighters were in attendance at the incident in Berlin on
Friday morning

Paul Maletzki was staying on the fourth floor with his girlfriend.

He described being woken up by a loud bang and shaking. When he looked down into
the lobby, he saw water flowing across it. They and other guests were later
escorted out of the hotel by armed police.

The Mayor of Berlin Franziska Giffey went to the hotel to see the damage and
described the tank burst as being like a tsunami.



She expressed relief it had happened so early in the morning - saying an hour or
so later, and the lobby and street outside would have been busy with visitors,
many of them children.

Sandra Weeser, a member of the German federal parliament who had been staying at
the hotel, told local television that she had been woken up by "a kind of shock
wave" and described the scene outside the hotel as a "picture of devastation".

She said fish which may have been saved had frozen to death and recalled seeing
a "large parrotfish lying on the ground, frozen".

The aquarium was modernised two years ago, and there is a clear-walled lift
built inside for use by visitors. Some of the rooms in the hotel are advertised
as having views of it.

Berlin's fire brigade said more than 100 firefighters were sent to the scene and
it was not clear what caused the break.

It said it used rescue dogs to check the area inside the hotel for anyone
potentially injured, with nobody found.



Police said "massive amounts" of water were flowing into nearby streets and
people in the area should drive cautiously.

Image source, Fabrizio Bensch / Reuters
Image caption,
The AquaDom in Berlin contained about 1,500 fish and over a million litres of
water

A police source told local media there is no evidence the break was the result
of a targeted attack.

But there has been speculation that freezing temperature - which dropped as low
as -6C overnight - may have caused a crack in the tank.

Berlin's public transport authority said Karl-Liebknecht street outside the
hotel had been closed off due to "an extreme amount of water on the road". Trams
service in the area was also stopped.

AquaDom was opened in December 2003 and was given the Guinness World Record for
being the world's largest cylindrical aquarium.

According to reports at the time of its construction, it cost about €12.8m
(£11.2m) to build.

 * Clarification: An earlier version said the aquarium was operated by SeaLife.
   Although the aquarium is in the same building complex as Berlin SeaLife, they
   are not responsible for the AquaDom

Image source, EPA


RELATED TOPICS

 * Germany
 * Marine life
 * Berlin





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