DUBAI - Dubai Mall’s aquarium, one of the world’s biggest, sprung a leak on Thursday afternoon that led to an evacuation and closing of a part of the shopping centre - another setback to the emirate’s tallest-and-biggest spectacles.

“It is a crack and it is being dealt with,” a Dubai Mall management official, who refused to disclose his name, told Maktoob News.

He added 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.

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.

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