Huge Aquarium With 1,500 Tropical Fish Explodes In Berlin: NPR
A dead fish is seen in the rubble in front of the Radisson Blu hotel in Berlin, where a huge aquarium located in the hotel lobby blew up on Friday. Berlin police said on Twitter that in addition to causing “incredible maritime damage”, the incident left two people injured by glass fragments.
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A dead fish is seen in the rubble in front of the Radisson Blu hotel in Berlin, where a huge aquarium located in the hotel lobby blew up on Friday. Berlin police said on Twitter that in addition to causing “incredible maritime damage”, the incident left two people injured by glass fragments.
John MacDougall/AFP via Getty Images
The huge cylindrical aquarium was a marvel, the centerpiece of a popular Berlin hotel. But in the early hours of Friday morning, it erupted, and soon after, Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey said all of the 1,500 or so fish in the aquarium were believed to be dead. Reports later surfaced that workers may have been able to rescue some of the animals.
The AquaDom aquarium was promoted as the largest free-standing cylindrical aquarium in the world. The aquarium dominated the large atrium of the Radisson Collection Hotel, where the mass of water washed parts of the hotel’s facade onto the road and left the building badly damaged, the Berlin fire brigade said.
The catastrophic rupture of the AquaDom aquarium took place around 5:45 a.m. local time, sending 1 million liters (more than a quarter of a million gallons) of salt water, and fish, spilling into the atrium and lobby from the hotel and on the street. , while dozens of emergency response workers rushed to the scene.
berlin police tell two people were injured, as a result of glass shards. They also say there are no signs of a crime.
In a file photo, a diver cleans the glass of the giant cylindrical aquarium known as the AquaDom in Berlin, Germany. The huge aquarium blew up on Friday.
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In a file photo, a diver cleans the glass of the giant cylindrical aquarium known as the AquaDom in Berlin, Germany. The huge aquarium blew up on Friday.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
the owner of the building He says the AquaDom aquarium was completely destroyed and the cause is still unknown. The hotel is now closed due to damage, radisson saysadding that all the guests are being relocated.
People who were staying at the hotel report being woken up by a loud bang or thud, only to realize the huge fish tank suddenly disappeared. Witnesses say the calamity left dead fish, ruined furniture and debris strewn across the hotel’s atrium, according to german wave.
There are reports that some of the fish could have withstood the sudden collapse of their habitat, saved by small pools of water from the deluge. German public broadcaster RBB reports that some fish were apparently found near an elevator and taken to a tank at the Sea Life Berlin facility in the same complex, but notes that those and other animals were also in danger, because power went out in that part of the building.
If the water carried them outside, any surviving animals would immediately struggle to survive the cold, as temperatures in Berlin were well below freezing. As long as the water in the fish tank remained around 79 degreesFriday’s high is forecast to reach 29 degrees Fahrenheit.
The large aquarium and the hotel are part of the Dom Aquaree Building, a complex that is located near the Berlin Cathedral. A transparent-walled elevator ran through its center and visitors could sit below the gigantic aquarium in a bar and cafeteria area.
The tragic failure of the aquarium comes months later. reopened during the summerafter being closed for modernization work in October 2019, according to its website.
A screen shows the news “Major Operation – Hotel Chaos – Explosion of 16 meter high aquarium in Berlin” in front of the Radisson Blu hotel, where a huge aquarium located in the hotel lobby exploded on Friday.
John MacDougall/AFP via Getty Images
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John MacDougall/AFP via Getty Images
A screen shows the news “Major Operation – Hotel Chaos – Explosion of 16 meter high aquarium in Berlin” in front of the Radisson Blu hotel, where a huge aquarium located in the hotel lobby exploded on Friday.
John MacDougall/AFP via Getty Images
Speaking at the scene shortly after the aquarium collapse, Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey. said that if the disaster had occurred just an hour later, when more people were on the streets of the bustling Mitte district, the death toll could have been even worse.