DUBAI (Reuters) - Dubai Mall, one of the world's largest shopping
centres and a symbol of Dubai's grandeur, was partly closed on
Thursday 25 February after an aquarium containing thousands of fish
and sea animals started leaking, police and witnesses
said.
Footage posted on the Internet showed water gushing from the
aquarium as passers-by scrambled to get out of the way.
"There was a small problem, a simple crack, and the water leaked,"
a police official said, declining to be named.
A Reuters witness said the mall had been partly evacuated and
dozens of emergency vehicles were outside. Six divers entered the
tank and appeared to be coordinating with workers outside the
glass. Workers mopped up water from the floor.
"A leakage was noticed at one of the panel joints of the Dubai
Aquarium at The Dubai Mall and was immediately fixed by the
aquarium's maintenance team," said a spokeswoman for Emaar
Properties, which operates the mall.
"The leakage did not impact the aquarium environment or the safety
of the aquatic animals," she added in a statement.
Emaar's chairman Mohammed Alabbar had earlier been quoted as
denying there was a leak in the aquarium, saying there was a
"technical fault in the operating device," according to a statement
carried on the official news agency WAM.
Emaar Properties, the Arab world's largest developer, came under
scrutiny this month when it closed the observation deck at Burj
Khalifa, the world's tallest tower and the firm's flagship project,
just a month after its fanfare opening.
Dubai Mall's aquarium was designed to hold 33,000 living creatures,
representing more than 85 species including over 400 sharks and
rays combined, according to the mall's website.
A witness said water had been leaking from a crack in the aquarium
glass.
"I saw a small crack in the aquarium glass and there was a little
water coming out and a lot of water on the floor," said Ranjin, a
27-year old corporate secretary. "The police came and evacuated the
area around the aquarium."