Shoppers panic as aquarium containing 400 sharks cracks in Emaar's mall
A giant shark-infested aquarium inside Dubai Mall has sprung a dramatic leak, forcing an evacuation of the shopping centre, which is owned by UAE developer Emaar.
The 10m-litre fish tank, which contains 400 sharks, cracked yesterday, sending shoppers into panic and flooding areas of the mall. Shops in the surrounding area were evacuated, police were called and security staff cordoned off part of the mall.
The main contractor on Dubai Mall, which opened in November 2008, was a joint venture between Ducto Balfour Beatty and Ghandi & Consolidated Contractors Corporation (AGCCC).
Matthew Schrieber, aged 56, from Germany, told local paper the National: “I saw all this water on the floor and staff running around with mops. Then we were told to leave but nobody would tell us what happened.”
A spokesman for Dubai Mall told local press that the crack was quickly repaired and would not have affected the 33,000 animals in the tank.
Dubai Mall is a key part of Emaar's £13bn development in the centre of Dubai, which contains the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. The tower recently was forced to close its observation deck due to technical issues.
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