A powerful explosion was recorded in the Sea Life aquarium of the Hotel DomAquarée in central Berlin. This was reported by the Dpa, explaining that ”a large aquarium tank has exploded” and ”the water is pouring into the street”, with the consequent ”closure of traffic”. About a hundred firefighters attended the scene, while the cause of the explosion is not clear at the moment.
Two people were injured – they were hospitalized.
The DomAquarée building houses the Sea Life aquarium and the so-called AquaDom, a giant tank containing one million liters of water where 1,500 species of tropical fish are found and which is a popular tourist attraction. The AquaDom is “the world’s largest free-standing cylindrical aquarium,” according to the DomAquarée website.
The accident was preceded by a very loud noise, around 5.45 this morning, then the collapse under the pressure of the water of parts of the building’s facade. Karl-Liebknecht Straße in the city center was closed due to the huge amount of water that spilled onto the street. The hotel guests have been evacuated and work is also being done to establish the causes of what happened.
The gigantic tank – as reported by the firefighters, present in force on the spot – was destroyed very quickly. “If the aquarium is faulty, it suddenly explodes,” said a firefighters spokesman. “It’s not a little crack where the water comes out, it’s the whole tank suddenly exploding.”
