At least 1,500 tropical fish have died after a huge aquarium was set up inside a luxury hotel in Germany exploded on Friday.
Parts said police of The buildingWhich also Contains a hotel, cafes and chocolate store, one million liters (264,000 gallons) of Water poured from the basin just before 6 am (5 am BST). Berlin fire Serve two said people They were slightly injured.
said the company that owns AquaDom, Union Investment Real Estate in Friday afternoon statement that the reasons for The incident was “still unclear”.
The city’s mayor, Franzisca Giffe, said the accident had unleashed a “real tsunami”. of Water, but early morning timing prevented that more injuries.
“Despite all the devastation, we were still nervous and lucky,” she said. “We could have suffered massive human damage” had the tub exploded even an hour later, all at once. more people They were awake and in the hotel and its surrounding area, she said.
The 25 m (82 ft) tall AquaDom has been described as the largest cylindrical tank in The world and hold more More than a thousand tropical fish before the accident. Among the 80 species of The fish it had were blue tang and clownfish, two well-known colorful species that are popular. animated movie “Finding Nemo.”
“Unfortunately, nothing of “1,500 fish could be saved,” Giffy said.
Efforts were underway Friday afternoon to save 400 to 500 smaller fish in Aquariums under the hotel lobby. Without electricity, their tanks were not receiving the necessary oxygen for Officials told them to stay alive.
“Now it is a matter of quickly evacuating them,” Almut Neumann, A.D city official in Cost of environmental issues for Berlin’s Mitte district, tell German news Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).
Many organizations, including the Berlin Zoo, offered to take in remaining fish.
Sea Life, the aquarium’s operator, said it was saddened by the incident and was trying to make it this far more information About the accident from the owners of Aquadom.
The private Sea Life Aquarium in The same building Visitors can tour it and the AquaDom on One ticket.
There were speculations of freezing temperatures that occurred down to minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight caused crack in The acrylic glass tank, which then blew under the weight of water. Police said there was no evidence that the accident was the result of foul play.
Police said about 300 guests and staff were evacuated from the hotel surrounding the basin.
Sandra Weiser, German MP who was staying in Hotel, she woke up up With a big bang and I thought there might be an earthquake.
there are fragments (of glass) everywhere. Furniture, everything flooded with She said “water” sounds a bit like war zone.”
The police said that Lindt chocolate store And many restaurants in The same building In addition to an underground parking garage next To the hotel, it was damaged. a fire Service spokesman said building safety Experts were assessing the extent of the hotel’s structural damage.
Hours after the accident, trucks began clearing up the spilled debris out on me street in In front of me of the hotel. The brightly colored Lindt chocolate wrappers were strewn about in In front of me of The building Where’s the chocolate? shop have been damaged. a small crowd of Pick up tourists and onlookers photos From behind Police line across street.
tub that was last Modern in 2020, is a major tourist attraction in Berlin. It was a 10-minute elevator ride through the tropical reservoir one of The highlights of gravity.
animals rights group PETA tweeted Thursday that the aquarium has become “death Trap” for housing fish in He. She. “That man-made Tragedy shows Aquariums are not safe place for fish and other marine life.”
Eva Yudinsky, a tourist from Israel who She was staying at the hotel, she was shocked by the accident
“Just yesterday we saw her and we were so amazed (by her) beauty that suddenly everything is gone,” she said. Everything is a mess, A.J total Mess.”
