1500 fish dead

Mega aquarium bursts: clues to cause

The mega aquarium at Berlin's Sea Life was home to around 1500 fish before the 16-meter-high aquadome inside the Radisson Blu Hotel burst in the early hours of Friday morning. As all the fish from the burst aquadome are dead, veterinarians concentrated on rescuing the remaining animals in the basement of the hotel building. Two people were injured by shattered glass. There are now initial indications as to the cause of the drama. 

Was it an attack by terrorists or radical animal rights activists? No, according to the Berlin police. Rather, material fatigue could simply have been the cause of the aquadome shattering. "The investigation into the cause is of course not yet complete, but initial indications point to material fatigue," said Berlin's Senator of the Interior Iris Spranger (SPD).

"If the aquarium is defective, it bursts suddenly"
According to the fire department, the giant tank containing one million liters of water was destroyed very quickly. "If the aquarium is defective, it will burst suddenly," said a fire department spokesperson. "This is not a small crack from which the water escaped, but the entire aquarium burst suddenly." None of the 1500 fish survived.

No power: 500 more fish threatened
Part of the attraction, the Sea Life underwater world with other aquariums, is also indirectly affected by the destruction of the Aquadome. "The task now is to evacuate them quickly", said Almut Neumann, environmental councillor for Berlin-Mitte. Around 400 to 500 smaller fish were in aquariums under the lobby that had housed the giant fish tank. The tanks are currently not supplied with electricity. "We will first try to evacuate the endangered species," said Berlin's State Secretary for Consumer Protection, Markus Kamrad. Berlin Zoo offered to house the fish.

Before - After: The world-famous hotel lobby

According to the fire department, a large part of the water probably leaked through the doors on the first floor onto the street and into the canal. Not much water was found in the basement. The destroyed first floor was searched for people with rescue dogs. Due to the severe damage, the guests of the surrounding hotel also had to leave the building, according to a fire department spokesperson. Almost 300 people were still in the hotel. According to "Bild", the adjacent GDR Museum also suffered water damage.

Aquarium was only recently modernized
Fish from over 100 different species lived in the tank. The mega aquarium was filled with one million liters of salt water, which would be 1000 cubic meters of water weighing 1000 tons. The aquarium was reportedly extensively modernized by summer 2020, and the elevator inside was also renovated. 

"There were shards everywhere"
Guests at the hotel in Berlin-Mitte unanimously reported an explosion-like bang. This occurred between 5.30 and 5.45 am. "We were really shocked," said a young woman. Several guests agreed that there was initially no information from the hotel. The reception was not reachable via landline. "After 8 a.m., we were informed that we had to leave." "You could see that the whole thing had fallen apart," said a young hotel guest. Karin Wicki and Sandra Hoffmann from Switzerland described: "Everything inside is destroyed. There are dead fish lying there. All the furniture is destroyed. The windows are smashed. Shards everywhere." They were only informed shortly before 9 a.m. that they had to leave the hotel.

Berlin's Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) thanked the emergency services at Sea Life. "Terrible news about the burst aquarium at Berlin Cathedral," she wrote on Twitter on Friday. "I would like to thank the emergency services for their efforts and wish the injured a speedy recovery."

PETA wants to press charges
Meanwhile, the animal rights organization PETA intends to take legal action against those responsible in Berlin. "We will be pressing criminal charges against those responsible because the lives of around 1,500 fish were obviously treated negligently," said a spokesperson for the organization. The destruction of the aquarium is a "huge, man-made tragedy". It should not be rebuilt.