Berlin AquaDom aquarium: Police not seeking suspects over explosion
Following the explosion of the “AquaDom” aquarium on Friday, Berlin police said they are not looking for suspects and have warned the public about what they claim to be a bogus tweet saying otherwise. One million litres of saltwater were released during the explosion at the Radisson Blu hotel, soaking the establishment and the streets around it.
Numerous fish perished, while glass that fell on people harmed two individuals. The structure has now been deemed safe by inspectors. There is no proof the explosion in the 15.85m-high (52 foot) aquarium was the product of a targeted attack, a police source told local media on Friday.
They have also utilised social media to refute a tweet from a replica account that requests public assistance in finding suspects connected to the incident.
According to a tweet from the official Berlin police account, they have encouraged people not to share the phoney message and “expressly distance” themselves from it.
The precise reason of the explosion is still under investigation, however it has been hypothesised that the cold temperatures, which fell as low as -6C over the course of one night on Friday, may have produced a crack in the tank.
Iris Spranger, a senator for the interior in Berlin, told the DPA news agency that early indications point to “material fatigue” as the root problem.
Reynolds Polymer Technology, a US company that worked on the tank’s construction, has announced that it will send a team to analyse the breach but that it is yet too early to tell what caused it.
The largest cylindrical aquarium in the world, AquaDom received the Guinness World Record after it debuted in December 2003. Its construction reportedly cost about €12.8 million (£11.2 million) at the time. It was most recently renovated in 2020.
According to reports, the Radisson Blu hotel lobby has sustained significant damage as a result of Friday’s explosion; a fire department spokesperson told German television Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg that it “looks like a battlefield.” According to Friedrich Engel, a spokesman for the Federal Agency for Technical Relief, which provides assistance in times of need, the structure has been deemed safe and given back to its owners.
According to a spokesperson for the building’s owner, Union Investment, there is no imminent risk of the structure falling. The hotel’s guests have been relocated, and it has been closed indefinitely. According to reports, further companies in the complex of buildings also sustained damage.
The explosion killed the bulk of the 1,500 fish maintained in the aquarium, although some of them made it out alive and were relocated. The power outage that followed the event put hundreds more fish held in the basement for breeding purposes at risk, but they have since all been relocated to safety. An online petition opposing the construction of a new aquarium has been launched by the animal rights organisation Help for Animals in Need.
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