According to German authorities a huge aquarium in the heart of Berlin has broken down, wreaking havoc both inside and outside the well-known tourist destination.
At the tourist attraction AquaDom in the center of the German city, a huge aquarium burst open early Friday morning, leaking debris, water and more than a thousand tropical fish.
Part of the building, which houses a hotel, cafes and a chocolate shop, was reportedly damaged when 1 million liters (264,000 gallons) of water leaked from the aquarium just before 6am, according to police (0500 GMT). According to berlin fire brigade, two people were slightly injured.
Union Investment Real Estate, the owner of the AquaDom, stated on Friday afternoon that the circumstances of the incident were “still unclear”.
So says Mayor Franziska Giffeythe tragedy unleashed a “real tsunami” of water, but the early morning spared many more victims.
“Despite all the devastation, we were still lucky”, she said. “We would have suffered terrible human damage” if the aquarium had burst even an hour later. Again people were awake and in the hotel and surrounding area.
Before the event, the AquaDom, 25 meters high, had more than a thousand tropical fish and was called the giant cylindrical tank in the world. There were 80 different species of fish, including the blue tang and the clownfish, two lively species made famous by the well-known animated movie “Finding Nemo”.
noted Giffey“Unfortunately, none of the 1,500 fish could be recovered.”
On Friday afternoon, work was done to conserve 400 to 500 smaller fish in aquariums below the hotel lobby. Officials claimed that without electricity, their tanks were not getting the oxygen they needed to thrive.
“Now it’s a matter of quick removal,” according to Almut Neumanna city official in charge of environmental issues for Berlin’s Mitte district, DPA.
The Berlin Zoo was one of several groups that offered to take the remaining fish with them.
Sea Life, which manages aquariums, expressed its sadness at the event and said it was trying to get in touch Aqua Doms owners for more information.
Visitors can see the AquaDom and Sea Life aquariums with one ticket, as they are both housed in the same building.
Police stated that there was no evidence that the incident was the result of a bad act. Still, there was a suspicion that freezing conditions reached minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight, causing a rupture in the acrylic glass tank, which then exploded under the weight of the water.
According to the police more than 300 guests and employees had to be evacuated from the hotel next to the aquarium.
A German lawmaker at the hotel named Sandra Weisser claimed she was awakened by a loud noise and initially thought there had been an earthquake.
“Everything is flooded with water and there are pieces of glass everywhere”, She said. “It looks a bit like a war zone.”
A fire official said construction safety experts were evaluating the extent to which the hotel had suffered structural damage. Police said a Lindt chocolate shop, several restaurants in the same building complex and an underground parking garage close to the hotel suffered damage.
Brightly colored Lindt chocolate wrappers were scattered in front of the building where the chocolate shop was damaged hours after the incident. A small crowd of tourists and onlookers snapped photos from behind the police line across the street. Trucks began clearing debris that had spilled onto the road in front of the hotel.
The 10 minute elevator ride to the tropical tank was one of the attractions of the attraction. The aquarium, which was last renovated in 2020, is a prominent tourist destination in Berlin.
The aquarium turned into a “death trap” for the fish kept there on Thursday, according to a tweet from animal rights group PETA. “This unnatural disaster proves that aquariums are not a safe environment for fish and other marine life,”They stated.
Iva Yudinskyan Israeli visitor staying at the hotel expressed disgust at the incident.
She said, “Suddenly it’s all gone, just yesterday we saw it and we were so happy (by) its beauty. Everything is a complete disaster.”
