A massive aquarium inside the lobby of the Radisson Blu hotel erupted on Friday, forcing thousands of gallons of water, tropical fish and debris onto the freezing streets of Berlin, Germany.
When the 50-foot-tall, 38-foot-wide AquaDom aquarium, described by its creators as the world’s largest freestanding aquarium, exploded before 6 a.m. local time, it woke hotel guests from their sleep and then forced their evacuation, according to multiple outlets, including The New York Times.
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At least two people were taken to hospital with injuries caused by broken glass, the outlet reported, after nearly 100 first responders arrived at the scene near the central Alexanderplatz square.
About 300 guests were evacuated from the hotel, according to the Associated Press.
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“It’s a picture of devastation with lots of dead fish and broken shards,” said Sandra Weeser, a federal member of parliament who was staying at the hotel. said in an interview with a local TV station, adding of the fish: “Those who could have been saved froze to death.”
About 1,500 tropical fish spanning 100 species were housed in the cylindrical aquarium, which wrapped around the hotel’s glass elevator and offered an upside-down view of sea life, according to the Time.
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“Fish that survived are moved as safely as possible,” said Markus Kamrad, a Berlin Senate official. Time. “Our plan A is to get the power back on. Plan B would be to get them to a safe place, and we have offers from places that say they’re ready to take them.”
Officials do not yet know the reason for the incident, but they were investigating any structural issues that may have affected the hotel in the aftermath of the explosion.
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Local media relayed that a technical fault may be to blame; the police do not believe it was a targeted attack, the BBC reported.
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The aquarium, which housed guinness world recorddebuted in 2003. At the time of its construction, it cost almost $14 million.
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