An 82-foot high aquarium, the world’s tallest and largest, burst in a Berlin hotel lobby early on Friday, spilling over 250,000 gallons of water. The disaster killed 1,500 tropical fish while rescuers raced to save 500 more in the second tank.
World’s largest aquarium bursts, killing fish and injuring two people
The massive AquaDom aquarium, which spans 82 feet high and set a Guinness World Record for being the largest freestanding cylindrical aquarium, burst on Friday, sending 250,000 gallons of water into nearby streets, Yahoo! News reported.
The aquarium is located in the foyer of the Radisson Blu hotel in central Berlin, in the DomAquarée complex. The tank burst at approximately 5:45 AM local time, with at least two people injured from shards and treated at a nearby hospital, the Daily Mail reported.
A “tsunami” of roughly a million liters of water was unleashed into the hotel lobby, which cut off electricity to the hotel.
Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey referred to the incident as a “veritable tsunami,” but credited the timing with preventing more injuries.
“Despite all the destruction, we were still very lucky,” Ms. Giffey said. “We would have had terrible human damage’ had the aquarium burst even an hour later, once more people were awake and in the hotel and the surrounding area.”
Authorities believe all of the roughly 1,500 tropical fish contained in the large tank were killed.
“Unfortunately, none of the 1,500 fish [from the main tank] could be saved,” the mayor added.
Among the 80 types of fish housed in the main aquarium were blue tang, as well as clownfish – both are colorful species known from the animated film Finding Nemo.
Race to save 500 fish in smaller tanks
Meanwhile, efforts were underway to save the additional 400-500 smaller fish that were housed in smaller aquariums underneath the lobby area. Because of the electricity outage, those tanks were not receiving the necessary oxygen for the fish to survive, officials said.
What caused the aquarium to burst?
Authorities are still trying to determine what caused the acrylic aquarium to burst. While the cause remains unclear, officials ruled out a targeted attack, saying there was no evidence to suggest anyone sabotaged the aquarium.
However, the leading theory is that freezing temperatures overnight caused a crack in the tank, which then exploded under the weight of water. Police are still investigating the cause, The Sun reported.
