A giant aquarium in the lobby of the Radisson Blu, a five-star hotel in Berlin, exploded on December 16. The “AquaDom”, which was 52 feet high, was considered the largest free-standing cylindrical aquarium in the world. It was also home to 1,500 tropical fish (the tank contained over 100 different species). Unfortunately, most of them have died as the cold weather made rescue attempts very difficult. However, some have been found alive where residual water collected. Fire brigade James Klein has stated that they’re being rehoused in other tanks.
As a result of the burst aquarium, 264,000 gallons (one million liters) of water flooded out into the building, damaging parts of the hotel as well as a chocolate store and cafe. Massive amounts of water also flowed into nearby streets. Fortunately, only two were injured in the incident. Fortunately, no one was trapped underneath the rubble at the hotel, according to the local fire department.
Sea Life Berlin, which operated the freestanding aquarium, has also announced that it will be closing its own aquarium, which is located inside the same building complex, until further notice.
According to a police source, there’s no evidence that the “explosion” was the result of a targeted attack. Rather, it’s speculated that the tank had cracked due to freezing temperatures overnight.