World’s largest freestanding cylindrical aquarium bursts
An aquarium in Berlin that was home to around 1,500 exotic fish burst early on Friday, spilling 1 million litres (264,172 gallons) of water and debris onto a major road in the busy Mitte district, emergency services said.World’s largest freestanding cylindrical aquarium bursts.
Around 100 emergency responders rushed to the scene, a leisure complex that houses a Radisson hotel, a museum, shops, and restaurants as well as what the DomAquaree complex says is the world’s largest freestanding cylindrical aquarium at 14 meters (46 ft) in height.
“In addition to the unbelievable maritime damage… two people were injured by glass splinters,” Berlin police said on Twitter.
A spokesperson for the Berlin fire brigade said emergency responders had been unable to access the ground floor of the building due to the debris. Search and rescue dogs were being sent to the scene, he added.
A post shared by CityQuartier DomAquarée Berlin (@domaquareeberlin)
The spokesperson said it was still unclear what had caused the aquarium to burst. Neither the fire brigade nor the police commented on the fate of the fish.
Around 350 people who had been staying at the hotel in the complex were asked to pack their belongings and leave the building, the fire brigade spokesperson said.
Buses were sent to the complex to provide shelter for people leaving the hotel as outside temperatures in Berlin were around -7 degrees Celsius (19.4°F), police said.
Emergency services shut a major road next to the complex that leads from Alexanderplatz toward the Brandenburg Gate due to the large volume of water that had flooded out of the building.
On December 16, 2022, the AquaDom burst, spilling 1 million liters (264,172 gallons) of water onto a major road in the busy Mitte district. Two people were injured by splinters of glass, and emergency services evacuated the hotel in the complex of concern that there could be structural damage.
The cause of the burst is still under investigation. However, it is possible that the burst was caused by a combination of factors, including a leak in the tank, a power outage, or a structural failure.
The AquaDom has since been repaired and reopened to the public. However, the incident has raised concerns about the safety of the aquarium and the potential for future accidents. World’s largest freestanding cylindrical aquarium bursts.
