A mall in Thailand that used to be awash with
shoppers is now teeming with fish after the abandoned building was
flooded.
The New World Mall, in Bangkok, was closed in
1997 after it was found to have breached building regulations,
before a fire in 1999 left it without a roof.
Rainwater slowly filled the building with water,
causing a major mosquito problem. In an effort to rid themselves of
the pests, the locals introduced freshwater talapia fish to eat the
insects.
The fish thrived, quickly multiplied, and now
fill the lower floors of the mall, swimming around rusty escalators
and across the 5,000sqft floor.
Shops around the mall sell fish food to tourists
who visit, but throwing anything else into the subterranean lake is
banned in order to protect the aquatic inhabitants.
Backpacker Jesse Rockwell, 30, stumbled across
the deserted mall while travelling in Thailand.
He said: 'It is quite bizarre - I was really
surprised when I came across it. It is literally three blocks away
from backpacker central, but nobody is even aware it is
there.
'It was very quiet in the mall, I could only hear
the sound of splashing fish, even though it's close to a main
road.'
Mr Rockwell, from Santa Rosa, California, USA,
added : 'A sign written in Thai outside says 'Do not throw anything
into the water' - so people are trying to protect the
fish.'
New World Mall, found on Bang Lam Pu Junction in
Bangkok's old town, was built in the 1980s.
The company that built the mall was found to be
in breach of building regulations as the 11-storey mall was seven
floors taller than the approved construction blueprint.
The mall was forced to close in 1997 and was set
ablaze in 1999, leading to its partial demolition.
The fifth to eleventh floors were later
dismantled so the empty shopping centre was in line with the
original construction plans.
Mr Rockwell, a chef, said: "Some people think it
was set ablaze because it was too tall. Lots of people in old town
Bangkok think it is insulting to build something taller than The
Grand Palace.
'So when the mall was built people got really
angry.'