Aquarium explosion kills 1,500 fish, prompts hotel evacuation

Despite killing 1,500 fish and causing a tsunami in the hotel lobby at 5:50 am, fortunately no guests were gravely wounded.

A “ticking time bomb” in the form of an 82-foot fish tank went off in a German hotel, killing 1,500 fish.

As one million litres of water spilled from the fish tank’s shell, shards of glass blasted over the Radisson Blue hotel’s lobby.

The accident happened on December 16 at 5.50 am.

The AquaDom tank, according to a specialist, should have been checked out more frequently. By doing so, the explosion would not have occurred.

Former owner of Schuran Seawater Equipment, Hermann Schuranm, called the structure a “ticking time bomb.”

According to Mr. Schuranm, those who built it are to blame, and it should have undergone inspection every two years.

He continued by saying that the amount of water inside the fish tank’s glass enclosure may have caused “stress” to develop.

The explosion occurred at a complex that also housed the largest freestanding cylindrical aquarium in the world, a museum, shops, and restaurants.

Before the accident, it had 1,500 tropical fish from 80 different species.

According to a fire brigade spokeswoman, some 350 hotel guests were advised to collect their belongings and exit the premises.

Buses were dispatched to the complex to give shelter for guests leaving the hotel because Berlin’s temperature was around -7 degrees, according to the police.

Due to the significant amount of water that had spilled out of the structure, emergency officials had to close a key road near to the complex that runs from Alexanderplatz to the Brandenburg Gate.

A popular tourist destination in Berlin is the aquarium, which underwent its most recent renovation in 2020.

One of the attractions’ highlights was a 10-minute elevator trip through the tank.

READ MORE: Vladimir Putin forbids the export of Russian oil to nations that use price controls