Giant aquarium housing 1,500 tropical fish bursts in Berlin

Agencies | Berlin                       

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com  

A huge aquarium in Berlin burst Friday, causing glass, water and hundreds of tropical fish to spill out of the Sea Life tourist attraction in the heart of the German capital.

A wave of debris swept out of the building, which also contains a hotel, cafes and a chocolate store, as 1 million litres of water poured from the aquarium shortly before 6am, police said.

Berlin's fire service said two people were slightly injured. Rescue dogs were searching the building for anyone who might be trapped under debris, they said.

The operators of Sea Life say the 82-ft tall AquaDom was the biggest cylindrical tank in the world and held more than a thousand tropical fish before the incident. Among the 80 types of fish it housed were blue tang and clownfish, the species known from the popular animated movie “Finding Nemo”.

“We have not yet been able to walk the first floor completely, which is probably where these fish will be," fire service spokesman Adrian Wentzel said. "But the thing is that the water has completely leaked out and these about 1,400 fish that were in this aquarium could not be saved either.”

There was speculation that freezing temperatures of down to minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 Fahrenheit) overnight had caused a crack in the tank, which then exploded under the weight of the water. Police said the cause of the incident was still being investigated but there was no evidence that it was the result of an attack.

About 300 guests and employees had to be evacuated from the hotel surrounding the aquarium, police said.

Witness Gwendolin Szyszkowitz told German news channel n-tv that she heard a loud bang and initially feared a bomb had exploded.

Operators say the aquarium has the biggest cylindrical tank in the world and contained 1,500 tropical fish of 80 different species before the incident. The aquarium, which was last modernised in 2020, is a major tourist magnet in Berlin.

The 10-minute elevator ride through the tank was one of the highlights of the attraction.