A 14-meter-high aquarium in a hotel in central Berlin has burst and the leaking water has forced the closure of a nearby street, police and firefighters said Friday.

Berlin police said on Twitter that as well as causing "incredible maritime damage," the incident left two people suffering injuries from glass shards.

The incident at the AquaDom aquarium happened at around 5:50 am, a police spokesperson told AFP.

The cylindrical aquarium contained over a million liters of water and was home to around 1,500 tropical fish.

It is located in the foyer of a Radisson Blu hotel and has a clear-walled elevator built inside to be used by visitors to the Sea Life leisure complex.

More than 100 emergency workers were at the scene, Berlin's firefighting service tweeted.

"The aquarium is damaged, water is leaking out. The situation is unclear at the moment," it added.

Berlin police on Twitter urged drivers to avoid the area, warning that water is "massively" leaking from the aquarium.

The nearby Karl-Liebknecht street has been partially closed off because there is "an extreme amount of water on the road," Berlin's public transport office said, also on Twitter.

According to the Sea Life website, the AquaDom is the largest cylindrical, freestanding aquarium in the world.

Pictures and videos circulating online early on Friday, apparently from guests staying at the hotel, showed extensive damage to the transparent aquarium with debris scattered all around.

The tank appeared to be empty.