--- title: "Huge Aquarium Bursts, Spills Tropical Fish And Injures Bystanders" description: "A giant aquarium in Berlin has exploded in the lobby of a hotel, spilling out hundreds of thousands of gallons of water and the 1,500 fish inside of it." date: "2022-12-16" modified: "2022-12-16" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/huge-aquarium-explodes-berlin" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "animals" - "aquarium" - "berlin" - "the digest" --- # Huge Aquarium Bursts, Spills Tropical Fish And Injures Bystanders ![A giant aquarium in Berlin has exploded in the lobby of a hotel, spilling out hundreds of thousands of gallons of water and the 1,500 fish inside of it.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## AquaDump A giant aquarium in Berlin exploded in the lobby of a luxury hotel this week, spilling hundreds of thousands of gallons of water and 1,500 tropical fish — and injuring at least two people in the process. As the [*BBC* reports](), most of the fish inside the AquaDom aquarium located in Berlin's Raddison Blu hotel have sadly passed away. However, news videos show [authorities carrying buckets of water]() with some of the surviving fish out of the hotel. Beyond the loss of so many fish, the tank explosion also resulted in extensive damage inside the hotel, as well as shattering the building's glass front doors and spilling out onto the street. As reports note, two bystanders were injured by glass from the tank. https://twitter.com/globeandmail/status/1603766585365213184 ## RIP Strangely, the AquaDom tank explosion wasn't the only animal catastrophe to happen in Europe this week. Just a day prior, authorities at a zoo in [Furuvik, Sweden]() shot and killed three out of four chimpanzees that had escaped their enclosures — because, as [zoo spokespeople said](), there wasn't enough tranquilizer for them all. Like the [much-memed shooting death of the gorilla Harambe]() in 2016, [animal lovers were affronted]() by the loss of the chimps, one of whom was [still a baby](). When these sorts of animal tragedies occur, there's often an instinct to "take a side" between the loss of animal life and the protection of human life. It's worth resisting that knee-jerk and putting these separate Scandinavian mishaps into perspective: that they were undeniably tragic incidents, but thankfully they weren't any worse. **More on animalian antics:** [*Furious Geese Are Defeating Humans, Scientists Find*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()