Berlin's giant AquaDom aquarium containing 1,500 fish explodes - BBC

2 years ago 46

Image of the beforehand   of the Radisson Blu edifice  showing a ample  magnitude  of debris which has been washed into the streetImage source, Reuters /Michele Tantussi

Image caption,

More than 100 occurrence fighters were successful attendance astatine the incidental successful Berlin connected Friday morning

By Michael Sheils McNamee successful London and Jenny Hill and Michael Steininger successful Berlin

BBC News

A elephantine aquarium containing a cardinal litres of h2o successful the lobby of the Radisson Blu successful Berlin has burst, flooding the edifice and adjacent streets.

The "AquaDom" - location to 1,500 tropical food - is 14m precocious (46 ft) and was described arsenic the largest free-standing cylindrical aquarium successful the world.

Two radical were injured by glass.

Police said determination had been "incredible" damage. Video showed an bare tank, h2o pouring into the lobby and debris strewn everywhere.

Guests person been moved retired of the edifice pursuing the incidental astatine 05:50 (04:50 GMT).

Outside the Radisson Blu, a heap of debris lies successful beforehand of what were the beforehand doors, which present bent into the thoroughfare - twisted astatine an space by the unit of the exploding tank.

Media caption,

Watch: Scenes of devastation aft vessel detonation astatine Berlin hotel

Paul Maletzki was staying connected the 4th level with his girlfriend.

He described being woken up by a large bang and shaking. When helium looked down into the lobby, helium saw h2o flowing crossed it. They and different guests were aboriginal escorted retired of the edifice by equipped police.

The Mayor of Berlin Franziska Giffey went to the edifice to spot the harm and described the vessel burst arsenic being similar a tsunami.

She expressed alleviation it had happened truthful aboriginal successful the greeting - saying an hr oregon truthful later, and the lobby and thoroughfare extracurricular would person been engaged with visitors, galore of them children.

The aquarium was modernised 2 years ago, and determination is simply a clear-walled assistance built wrong for usage by visitors. Some of the rooms successful the edifice are advertised arsenic having views of it.

Berlin's occurrence brigade said much than 100 firefighters were successful attendance and it was not wide what caused the break.

It said it utilized rescue dogs to cheque the country wrong the edifice for anyone perchance injured, with cipher found.

Police said "massive amounts" of h2o was flowing into adjacent streets and radical successful the country should thrust cautiously.

Image source, EVN / Bezirksamt Mitte

Image caption,

The presumption from the thoroughfare extracurricular the hotel

A constabulary root told section media determination is nary grounds the interruption was the effect of a targeted attack.

Berlin's nationalist transport authorization said Karl-Liebknecht thoroughfare extracurricular the edifice had been closed disconnected owed to "an utmost magnitude of h2o connected the road". Trams work successful the country was besides stopped.

The aquarium contained much than 100 antithetic taxon of fish.

On its website connected Friday it said the attraction was temporarily closed and asked visitors to reschedule their tickets.

AquaDom was opened successful December 2003 and was fixed the Guinness World Record for being the world's largest cylindrical aquarium.

According to reports at the clip of its construction, it outgo astir €12.8m (£11.2m) to build.

  • Clarification: An earlier mentation said the aquarium was operated by SeaLife. Although the aquarium is successful the aforesaid gathering analyzable arsenic Berlin SeaLife, they are not liable for the AquaDom

Image source, Alamy

Image caption,

The AquaDom successful Berlin contained astir 1,500 tropical food and implicit a cardinal litres of water

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