London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 02, 2026

Gutted! German MP describes mega fish tank explosion horror

Gutted! German MP describes mega fish tank explosion horror

Berlin mayor says incident caused a ‘veritable tsunami.’
A giant aquarium in a Berlin hotel containing a million liters of water and 1,500 tropical fish exploded Friday morning, causing destruction on a grand scale.

Sandra Weeser, a German MP from the liberal Free Democrats party, was a guest in the Radisson Blu hotel this week as Bundestag members gathered in Berlin for the last parliamentary week of the year.

But her last day didn’t start as planned.

“I woke up from a big bang, thinking it was an earthquake,” Weeser told POLITICO. She only found out through social media what had really happened after the monstrous explosion shook the building, before she was evacuated by the fire department as water flooded the hotel and nearby streets.

“There was wreckage everywhere — and the poor tropical fish frozen in between,” she said, describing the “sad picture” on the hotel’s ground floor, where the water was ankle-deep as firemen escorted her out of the building.

“One of the big fish — a parrotfish — was lying frozen on the floor on my way out,” she told Berliner Morgenpost in an earlier interview.

While the fire brigade earlier reported that there was not a sole survivor, they revised their statement later in the afternoon, saying that a few live fish had been found at the bottom of the ruptured pool.

The hotel, which usually had a “pleasant ambience” according to Weeser, was left “all dark and wet,” she said.

Thankfully, Weeser said, the incident happened when the often-busy ground floor was largely deserted at 5:45 a.m. Four hundred hotel guests were evacuated. Two people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey also highlighted the “great luck that no terrible human damage happened,” while she called the flooding “a veritable tsunami.”

The cause of the disaster remains unclear. However, the Berlin police said that there are “no indications of a criminal act.”

A “sad end of the year,” Weeser concluded, hoping she can be a guest in the hotel next year again.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Scottish Court to Rule on Bid to Force No-Confidence Vote Against Aberdeen Council Co-Leader
UK Bans Extra Charges for Seating Children Under 12 Beside Accompanying Adults
UK Introduces Vaping Duty and New Licensing Requirements
Greggs to Close Four UK Factories and Cut 740 Jobs
Hundreds of Prisoners Released Early as England and Wales Prisons Reach 98% Capacity
UK Unveils New Russia Sanctions Targeting War Funding and Shadow Fleet
Burnham Says There Are Strong Indications of Iranian Involvement in RAF Fairford Security Breach
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Raises Prospect of Reviewing Britain's Post-Brexit EU Relationship
Markets Price in Bank of England Rate Increases as Inflation Rises to 3.1%
UK Borrowing Costs Climb Toward 5.5% as Global Bond Sell-Off Intensifies
UK-France One-In-One-Out Migration Agreement Expires as London Seeks Alternative Measures
Southwest England Faces Flood Alerts After Heavy Autumn Storms
UK Expands Funding for Rapid Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure
Welsh Government Approves Funding to Upgrade South Wales Transport
Northern Ireland Tensions Rise as Orange Order Rejects Drumcree Compromise
NHS Leaders Back Early Design of Proposed National Care Service
More Than One-Third of Regional UK Universities Face Financial Deficits
UK Current Account Deficit Narrows as Cross-Border Financial Flows Remain Strong
Bank of England and FCA Issue New Rules for Stablecoins and Digital Assets
MI5 Warns UK Universities Over Research Links With Chinese Institutions
UK Energy Price Cap Rises 4% as Electricity VAT Is Temporarily Suspended
Equity Calls for UK Personality Rights to Protect Performers From AI Replication
OpenAI Pauses Advanced Model Training Following Safety Concerns
Scottish Government Proposes Replacing 32 Councils With Larger Regional Authorities
Ofgem Raises UK Household Energy Price Cap by 4% From October
UK Counter-Terrorism Police Continue Investigation After Five Arrests Near RAF Fairford
OECD Cuts UK 2027 Growth Forecast to 1%
Labour Says State Pension Triple Lock Remains Protected Through Current Parliament
Andy Burnham Pledges National Care Service With Free Social Care in England
Six Flags Permanently Shuts Landmark X2 Roller Coaster Following Safety Scandals
Metropolitan Police Rule Out Terrorism in Golders Green Stabbing Investigation
Lithium-Ion Battery Identified as Cause of Fatal Merseyside House Fire
UK Department Rejects New Sea Use Framework Due to Stakeholder Fatigue
Major Thames Water Pipe Burst Causes School Closures in London
Aldi Commits £900 Million to Expand UK Supermarket Network
Scottish Affairs Committee Warns Skills Shortages Threaten Defence Sector Expansion
Parliamentary Committee Warns Northern Ireland Budget Deadlock is Stalling Economic Growth
NHS Hospitals in England Face Severe Shortages of Essential Medications
Home Secretary Signals Major Overhaul of UK Immigration and Leave to Remain Policies
Chancellor Promises New Job Schemes Alongside Strict Fiscal Discipline
Energy Secretary Proposes Taxpayer-Funded Green Transition and National Electricity Grid
UK Government to Renationalise Avanti West Coast Railway Franchise in March
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Pledges Major Social Care and Infrastructure Reforms
Five Suspects Released on Bail Following Alleged Bomb Plot Near RAF Fairford
UK Diesel Prices Hit Record High of 199p Per Litre
Transport for Wales and Network Rail Complete Electrification of South Wales Metro
Defra Expands Incentives for Sustainable Farming and Biodiversity in England
Northern Ireland Executive Approves Funding Package to Resolve Public Sector Pay Disputes
Universities UK Warns of Financial Insolvency Risks for Higher Education Institutions
UK Prisons Activate Emergency Protocols to Manage Capacity Pressures
×