By Frank Jordans and Emily Schultheis -
The Associated Press
A gigantic aquarium inside a Berlin hotel ruptured Friday morning, releasing the 1,500 tropical fish and 265,000 gallons of water (one million liters) it contained, authorities in the German capital said.
The incident occurred around 6 in the morning, when the walls of the aquarium fractured and caused a sea of damage.
Parts of the hotel and several cafeterias were flooded.
At least two people were slightly injured, Berlin firefighters said, as rescue dogs searched the area for people who may have been trapped under the rubble.
The aquarium, named AquaDom, was about 82 feet tall (25 meters) and was the largest cylindrical tank in the world, according to its managers.
Inside it lived more than 1,500 tropical fish of 80 different species.
Among them were the blue tang and the papaya, very popular thanks to the movie
Finding Nemo
.
"We haven't been able to go all the way around the first floor yet, which is where these fish are likely to be," said Adrian Wentzel, a spokesman for the fire service. They have not been able to save themselves in this aquarium either," he lamented.
The authorities are investigating the causes that led to the collapse of the giant fish tank, but they maintained that there is no evidence that points to an intentional attack.
One of the hypotheses that will be lowered is the low temperatures that Berlin is experiencing, which reached -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) during the night.
Some 300 guests and employees had to be evacuated from the hotel that housed the aquarium, according to police.
Some hotel rooms had direct views of the fish tank, according to photographs posted on the establishment's social networks.
Sandra Weeser, a German lawmaker staying at the hotel, said she had been awakened by a loud bang and thought there might have been an earthquake.
"There are shards (of glass) everywhere. The furniture, everything has been flooded with water. It looks a bit like a war zone," he said.
The aquarium, which was last modernized in 2020, is one of the main tourist spots in Berlin.
One of its main attractions was a 10-minute elevator ride.
