Home to around 1,500 exotic fish, a freestanding cylindrical aquarium said to be the world’s largest burst early Friday in Berlin, spilling 1 million litres of water and debris onto a major city road, news agency Reuters reported, quoting emergency services. The incident took place in the busy Mitte district.


Located inside the DomAquaree complex, which houses a Radisson hotel, shops, a museum and restaurants, the Sea Life aquarium, also known as AquaDom, was 46 feet in height. 


"In addition to the unbelievable maritime damage... two people were injured by glass splinters," the Berlin police said in a Twitter post.


According to the Reuters report, around 100 emergency responders rushed to the spot to control the situation after the aquarium burst.


Quoting a spokesperson for the Berlin fire brigade, the report said the emergency responders could not access the ground floor of the building due to the debris, adding that search and rescue dogs were being sent now.


It is still not clear what caused the aquarium to burst, the spokesperson said. The fire brigade or the police have not commented on what happened to the fish. 



File photo of the aquarium in Berlin that burst on December 16, 2022 | Photo: Getty


The 350-odd people staying at the hotel inside the DomAquaree complex were asked to pack their belongings and leave the building, the fire brigade spokesperson was quoted as saying.


With outside temperatures in Berlin hovering around the -7 degrees Celsius mark, buses were sent to the hotel to ferry the people leaving the complex, the police said.


The debris and leaking water forced the emergency services to shut a major road next to the complex.


The aquarium had been a tourist attraction, with an elevator making all levels of the 46-foot glass structure accessible. The sale of tickets was stopped after the incident.


"Due to the recently reported incident in regards to the AquaDom, SEA LIFE Berlin is unfortunately temporarily closed... We ask for your understanding and will announce as soon as we are open again," a message of the the web. 


Several social media users shared visuals from the scene after AquaDom burst.