Thursday, Feb 25, 2010
(Adds details, background.)
DUBAI (Zawya Dow Jones)--Emaar Properties (EMAAR.DFM) was forced Thursday to evacuate part of its giant Dubai Mall after its centerpiece aquarium developed a leak.
"It's a security problem," an Emaar security guard at Dubai Mall told Zawya Dow Jones. "The aquarium is leaking."
The aquarium tank features the world's largest viewing panel at 32.8 meters wide and 8.3 meters high, and contains hundreds of fish including sharks and rays.
The leak is the latest mishap to hit one of Emaar's prestigious projects. The company was forced this month to close the viewing deck in the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, in the center of Dubai.
Later, Dubai Mall sent a statement saying that the leak had been repaired in the tank.
"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," the emailed statement said. "The leakage did not impact the aquarium environment or the safety of the aquatic animals.
But at GMT 1100 Zawya Dow Jones counted around 100 retail outlets still closed in the mall and the area around the giant tank still closed to the public.
Opened in 2009, The Dubai Mall, one of the world's largest shopping centers, attracted 37 million visitors during its first year of operation.
The mall forms part of a major development that includes Burj Khalifa. Opened in January, the 828-meter tower, which stands at the heart of Emaar's $20 billion flagship Downtown development, had been known as Burj Dubai during construction, but Dubai's ruler Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum surprised spectators by renaming it after his counterpart in Abu Dhabi at a lavish opening ceremony in the emirate.
-By Stefania Bianchi, Dow Jones Newswires; +971 4 4461685; stefania.bianchi@dowjones.com
Copyright (c) 2010 Dow Jones & Co.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
25-02-10 1144GMT
