A wave of debris swept out of the building, which also contains a hotel, cafes and a chocolate store, as 1 million litres of water poured from the aquarium.
тАЬWe have not yet been able to walk the first floor completely, which is probably where these fish will be,” fire service spokesman Adrian Wentzel said.
“But the thing is that the water has completely leaked out and these about 1,400 fish that were in this aquarium could not be saved either.тАЭ
There was speculation freezing temperatures that got down to minus 10 degrees Celsius overnight caused a crack in the tank, which then exploded under the weight of the water. Police said there was no evidence the incident resulted from an attack.
About 300 guests and employees had to be evacuated from the hotel surrounding the aquarium, police said.
Sandra Weeser, a German lawmaker who was staying in the hotel, said she was awoken up by a large bang and thought there might have been an earthquake.
тАЬThere are shards (of glass) everywhere. The furniture, everything has been flooded with water,” she said. “It looks a bit like a war zone.тАЭ
The aquarium, which was last modernised in 2020, is a major tourist magnet in Berlin. The 10-minute elevator ride through the tropical tank was one of the highlights of the attraction.
