At the AquaDom tourist attraction in the center of the German city early on Friday, a massive aquarium burst, spilling debris, water, and more than a thousand tropical fish. Let’s see How did the Berlin Aquarium Burst in detail.
What happened to the Fish Tank?
On Friday, December 16, 2022, a fish tank at the Seal Life Aquarium in central Berlin, Germany, exploded.
Emergency services reported that a massive aquarium in Berlin exploded early on Friday, spilling 1 million litres (264,172 gallons) of water, over 1,500 exotic fish, and debris onto a major road in the Mitte district.
A total of 100 emergency responders rushed to the location, a recreational complex that included a Radisson hotel, a museum, and what Sea Life Berlin claimed to be the largest freestanding cylindrical aquarium in the world at a height of 14 metres (46 feet).
A large fish tank at the Seal Life Aquarium in central Berlin, Germany, ruptured on Friday, December 16, 2022, leaving debris on the street.
Image credit: AP
A portion of the structure, which houses a hotel, cafes, and a chocolate shop, was reportedly damaged as water leaked from the aquarium just before 6 a.m., according to the police (0500 GMT).
According to Berlin’s fire department, two people had minor injuries.
Guest’s statement
Naz Masraff, a hotel guest, remarked,
“It felt like an earthquake.”
Sandra Weeser, a hotel visitor, described the mayhem.
“The whole aquarium burst and what’s left is total devastation. Lots of dead fish, debris.”
Officials Statement
Union Investment Real Estate, the business that owns the AquaDom, stated in a statement Friday afternoon that the incident’s circumstances were “still unclear.”
The tragedy, according to Mayor Franziska Giffey, unleashed a “veritable tsunami” of water, but the early morning time spared many more victims. We were still quite fortunate, she continued, despite all the destruction.
If the aquarium had exploded even an hour later when more people would have been awake and around the hotel and the surrounding neighborhood, she claimed,
“We would have had terrible human damage.”
Before the event, the AquaDom, which is 25 metres (82 feet) tall, had more than a thousand tropical fish and was referred to as the largest cylindrical tank in the world. It hosted 80 different kinds of fish, including the blue tang and clownfish, two vivid species made famous by the well-known animated film “Finding Nemo.”
Giffey said,
“Unfortunately, none of the 1,500 fish could be saved.”
“Efforts were underway Friday afternoon to save an additional 400 to 500 smaller fish housed in aquariums underneath the hotel lobby. Without electricity, their tanks were not receiving the necessary oxygen for them to survive.”
Almut Neumann, a city official in charge of environmental concerns for Berlin’s Mitte area, told the German news agency DPA,
“Now it’s about evacuating them quickly.”
The Berlin Zoo was one of many groups that offered to take the remaining fish.
Sea Life, which runs aquariums, expressed sadness at the event and said it was attempting to contact AquaDom’s proprietors for further details.
Visitors can see both the AquaDom and Sea Life’s aquarium with a single ticket because they are both housed in the same structure.
Police Statement
There was a theory that the acrylic glass tank cracked overnight due to the subzero temperatures, which dropped to minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit).
The tank subsequently exploded as a result of the weight of the water. Police claimed there was no proof the incident was the result of malicious activity.
According to police, over 300 guests and employees had to be evacuated from the hotel next to the aquarium.
There was damage to a Lindt chocolate shop, several restaurants, and an underground parking lot near the hotel.
According to a fire department spokeswoman, building safety experts are determining the degree of the hotel’s structural damage.
Trucks started removing the rubble that had poured out onto the roadway in front of the hotel many hours after the event.
The area in front of the building where the chocolate shop had been wrecked was covered in brightly coloured Lindt chocolate wrappers.
From behind the police line across the street, a small group of tourists and passersby took pictures of the scene.
PETA’s Statement
The aquarium turned into a “death trap” for the fish kept inside, the animal rights organisation PETA tweeted on Friday.
The group claimed that the incident proved that aquariums are not a secure environment for fish and other marine species.
Berlin’s aquarium, which had its most recent renovation in 2020, is a popular tourist destination.
One of the delights of the attraction was the 10-minute elevator ride that went through the tropical tank.
Iva Yudinski, an Israeli visitor staying at the hotel, expressed disbelief over the incident.
She said,
“Just yesterday we watched it and we were so amazed (by) its beauty,”
“Suddenly it’s all gone. Everything is a mess, a total mess.”
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