The investigation into the explosion at a huge aquarium in Berlin in December failed to determine the exact cause of the disaster, which was fatal for most of the roughly 1,400 tropical fish, according to a final report released Wednesday.
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Expert Christian Bonten, who led the investigation, said he retained three possible theories but acknowledged that the origin of the incident may never be known.
“It’s frustrating,” he admitted as he presented his 66-page report to the press.
On December 16, the AquaDom, a 15-foot-tall cylindrical aquarium, was smashed early in the morning, spilling more than a million liters of water and its fish into the lobby of the Radisson Blu Hotel and adjacent streets.
Two people were slightly injured by flying glass. About ten fish were rescued and collected from local zoos.
The AquaDom, which was part of the Sea Life complex, billed itself as “the largest cylindrical aquarium in the world.” It was equipped with a glass elevator, which was empty at the time of the explosion, allowing visitors to observe maritime life from inside.
Investigators quickly dismissed the sabotage theory and focused on possible material defects that stemmed from either construction two decades ago or renovations in 2020.
After examining hundreds of shards of acrylic glass that made up the aquarium, they concluded that the disaster could have been caused by defects in the glue used to assemble the panels, damage caused when replacing the base and led to small cracks. or to the deterioration of certain parts of the aquarium.
Mr Bonten stressed that the explosion could not have been avoided by maintenance personnel. “It happened suddenly and without warning,” he said.
According to Fabian Hellbusch, spokesman for Union Investment, owner of the complex, the shops and restaurants in the lobby are scheduled to reopen gradually in November and the hotel at an as-yet-undetermined later date.
The lobby will be remodeled, he said. “But there won’t be an aquarium.”