London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jun 16, 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
UK Supreme Court Revises Legal Definition of Deprivation of Liberty
King’s Birthday Honours Recognise Contributions Across Science, Culture and Public Service
UK Ministry of Defence Reports Interdiction of Russian Shadow Fleet Vessel
UK and US Launch Joint Regulatory Programme for Medicines and Healthcare Products
Solicitor General Refers Murder Sentence to Court of Appeal Under Unduly Lenient Scheme
UK Launches £1.6 Million Mobile Museum Initiative to Expand Cultural Access
Judicial Pay Structure Undergoes Government Review Following Senior Recommendations
Government Confirms Nearly 180 New Youth Hubs Across the United Kingdom
UK Government Expands Careers Support Through Partnership with LinkedIn
Digital News Report Highlights Growing Global Concern Over AI and Information Overload
UK Chancellor Reaffirms Fiscal Discipline and Borrowing Reduction Strategy
UK Government Invests £219 Million in Sustainable Aviation Fuel Development
Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactors Secures Major Swedish Export Contract
Government Confirms Locations for Nearly 180 Youth Hubs Across Great Britain
UK Government Partners with LinkedIn to Expand Employment Support Services
Reuters Institute Report Flags Rising Public Anxiety Over News and Information Overload
UK Government Commits £219 Million to Expand Sustainable Aviation Fuel Industry
Chancellor Convenes Market Engagement Group to Assess UK Economic Outlook and Productivity Risks
Rolls-Royce Wins Multibillion-Pound Swedish Contract for Small Modular Nuclear Reactors
Government to Ban Social Media Access for Under-Sixteens Across the United Kingdom
Government Approves Fast-Tracked Broadcast Merger Reshaping UK's Media Landscape
Resignation of Defence Secretary John Healey Triggers Debate Over UK Military Strategy
Britain Intensifies Diplomatic Efforts to Support US-Iran Ceasefire
Bank of England Faces Tough Interest Rate Choices After Economic Contraction
Belfast Sees Second Day of Anti-Migrant Riots as Police Deploy Water Cannons
UK Economy Shrinks in April as Energy Price Shocks Weigh on Growth
UK to Ban Social Media Access for Children Under 16 From 2027
UK Parliament Opens Week of Fast-Tracked Security and Infrastructure Legislation
Northern Ireland Projects £21 Million Boost From Major Cultural and Sporting Events
UK and Japan Sign Technology Security Pact to Strengthen AI and Supply Chain Cooperation
UK Welcomes US-Iran Peace Breakthrough Aimed at Restoring Strait of Hormuz Shipping
British Forces Intercept Russian Shadow Fleet Oil Tanker in English Channel Sanctions Operation
UK to Ban Social Media for Under-16s Under Landmark Online Safety Expansion
Anti-Immigrant Riots Spread Across Belfast, Raising Security Concerns
Ministry of Defence Opens Europe's Largest Drone Testing Facility in Swindon
Kemi Badenoch Calls for Deregulation to Restore City's Global Competitiveness
UK Housing Market Posts Sharpest June Price Decline in Fourteen Years
NHS Waiting Lists Rise to 7.22 Million as Diagnostic Delays Reach New Highs
Makerfield By-Election Raises Prospect of Labour Leadership Challenge
Bank of England Expected to Hold Interest Rates at 3.75% Despite Growing Policy Divisions
Royal Marines Seize Sanctioned Russian Oil Tanker in English Channel
Prime Minister Keir Starmer Set to Ban Social Media and AI Chatbots for Under-16s
United Kingdom Markets Rally After US-Iran Deal Reopens Strait of Hormuz
Defence Secretary John Healey Resigns Over Military Spending Dispute, Triggering Cabinet Crisis
Royal Navy Takes Part in Trooping the Colour for the First Time in 350 Years
Think Tank Warns Labour's European Union Reset Could Carry Significant Economic Costs
UK Semiconductor Centre and Japan's Rapidus Forge Advanced Chip Manufacturing Partnership
UK and Japan Launch Offshore Wind Compact Backed by £9 Billion in Investment
Starmer and Trump Discuss Iran Peace Efforts and Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
United Kingdom and Japan Sign £18 Billion Investment Partnership Focused on Clean Energy and Advanced Technology
×