On Friday morning, a disaster occurred in the Mitte district of Berlin when the AquaDom, the world’s largest freestanding cylindrical aquarium, burst, releasing over a million liters of water and 1,500 exotic fish onto the street. The incident occurred at the DomAquaree complex, a leisure complex that includes a Radisson hotel, a museum, and the AquaDom.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, and around 100 responders worked to rescue the fish and clean up the debris. Two people, including a hotel employee, were injured by splinters of glass, and around 350 hotel guests were asked to pack their belongings and leave amid concerns of potential structural damage. Buses were sent to provide shelter for the displaced hotel guests as outside temperatures hovered around -7 degrees Celsius.
The AquaDom, which stands at 14 meters tall, was last refurbished in 2020, during which all of the water was drained and the fish were moved to aquariums in the basement. It is unclear what caused the aquarium to burst, but a spokesperson for the fire brigade stated that the investigation is ongoing.
The AquaDom is operated by Sea Life Berlin, which released a statement expressing shock at the incident and announcing that the aquarium would remain closed until further notice. The Radisson Collection Hotel Berlin, which is also located at the DomAquaree complex, has also closed until further notice.
Berlin mayor Franziska Giffey commented on the incident, stating that it was fortunate that the accident occurred at 5:45 am when the area was largely empty. Giffey noted that if the incident had happened just one hour later, there could have been terrible human loss to report. The AquaDom, which offered glass elevator rides through the aquarium, was a popular tourist attraction, and its closure will no doubt be a blow to the city’s tourism industry.
The disaster also raises questions about the safety of such large aquariums and the potential consequences of their failure. It is fortunate that the AquaDom burst when it did, as the loss of life could have been much worse had the incident occurred during peak hours.
