Massive aquarium bursts open in Germany, Water rushes to street
text_fieldsBerlin's streets saw water from a 46-foot-high aquarium after it burst open. The massive fish tank - the Dom Aquaree - was in the leisure complex at Radisson Blu Hotel.
Over 100 firefighters arrived at the scene to deal with the damage in the capital city. The Berlin fire brigade wrote on Twitter: "The aquarium is damaged, water is leaking. The situation is not clear at the moment." According to the city police, the incident happened around 5.30 am. Two people were injured from glass shards.
Photos and videos shared by hotel guests show extensive damage to the complex. A million litres of water was released and capital traffic information agency VIZ said that there was an extremely large volume of water on the street outside. The aquarium also had around 1,500 fish.
The street - Karl-Liebknecht Strasse - was closed off. All 400 guests at the hotel have been evacuated and transported to another hotel.
The Dom Aquaree was the world's largest free-standing cylindrical aquarium and was in the foyer of the hotel. It is a major tourist attraction of the Mitte district. The hotel has a clear-walled elevator inside so that visitors can observe the Sea Life Leisure complex.
The complex was opened on May 11, 2004. After 15 years, it was refurbished in 2019.