The “AquaDom” – home to 1,500 fish – is 15.85m high (52 ft) and was described as the largest free-standing cylindrical aquarium in the world.
Police said there had been “incredible” damage. Video showed an empty tank with water pouring into the hotel lobby. While two people were injured by falling glass after the blast.
Guests have been moved out of the hotel following the incident at 05:50, a spokesman for Berlin’s fire brigade told that a vast majority of fish had died, while the cold weather had made rescue attempts more difficult. The tank had contained more than 100 different species.
However, fire brigade official James Klein later told local media that “several dozen” fish had been found alive in places where residual water had collected. He said they were being rehoused in other aquariums.
A police source told local media there is no evidence the break was the result of a targeted attack. But there has been speculation that freezing temperature – which dropped as low as -6C overnight – may have caused a crack in the tank.
Berlin’s public transport authority said Karl-Liebknecht street outside the hotel had been closed off due to “an extreme amount of water on the road”. Trams service in the area was also stopped.
