Leak at Dubai Aquarium floods mall

33,000 sea creatures -in Dubai Mall

GALLERY: Dubai mall shut down

VIDEO: A day at Dubai Aquarium

DUBAI - Dubai Aquarium, one of the world’s biggest, sprung a leak and flooded Dubai Mall on Thursday, prompting an evacuation and closure of a part of the shopping centre - another setback to the emirate’s tallest-and-biggest spectacles.

"A leakage was noticed at one of the panel joints of the Dubai Aquarium ... and was immediately fixed by the aquarium’s maintenance team," a statement released by Dubai Mall said late on Thursday afternoon.

By 6 p.m., the delivery area under Dubai Mall, next to the parking lot, was flooded with about half a foot of water. Dozens of workers were pumping water into tens of sewage trucks.

Officials did not comment on the damage, refusing even to comment on whether the leak in the aquarium had caused the flood.

A Dubai Mall management official, who refused to disclose his name, told Maktoob News that the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, dubbed an "indoor ocean", was shut until further notice.

Earlier, security officers had said the aquarium was closed for maintenance.

SIX DIVERS IN AQUARIUM

A witness, who requested anonymity, told Maktoob News: “There were six divers inside the aquarium and a lot of water on the floor. It was clear there was some kind of leak.”

The aquarium features the world's largest viewing panel at 32.8 metres (107 ft 7 in) wide and 8.3 metres high and boasts more than 33,000 aquatic creatures.

It is a symbol of Dubai’s penchant for grand monuments of construction and is housed in one of the world’s largest malls. It is within walking distance of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, which opened last month.

Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa are owned by Emaar Properties, a subsidiary of Dubai Holdings, a sprawling enterprise owned by the emirate’s ruler.

The leak in the aquarium comes weeks after a defect in the elevators of Burj Khalifa rendered the tower’s observation deck on the 124th floor unavailable to visitors.

AQUARIUM, TALLEST TOWER SHUT INDEFINITELY

Both the aquarium and Burj Khalifa’s At The Top observatory remain closed indefinitely.

“The Burj Khalifa and the aquarium might well be the world’s biggest, but clearly the cracks are showing,” Robert Bisu, a tourist from the Netherlands, told Maktoob News.

“We came here only two days ago. Today we had hoped to go up the Burj Khalifa and it is closed. Then we were going to go to the aquarium but now this is also closed.”

Bisu’s five-year-old daughter Nadia, almost in tears, said: “I wanted to see the sharks.”

More than 400 sharks and rays swim in the aquarium.

Many stores and eateries were shut in the mall and some were without power. Corridors on four levels of the mall were shut. Hundreds of workers were mopping the floors next to the aquarium.

"The leakage did not impact the aquarium environment or the safety of the aquatic animals," the statement from Dubai Mall said.

Were you there at the Dubai Mall when the incident occurred? Do you have any pictures or videos that you wish to share with our readers? Send them to sekhri@yahoo-inc.com.