By Bridget O’Donnell

Fifteen people were injured last night after a shark tank on the first floor of the Shanghai Orient Shopping Center on East Nanjing Road just up and burst for no apparent reason. Three sharks in the 7-meter-long, 3-meter-high aquarium were killed.

Eight of the injured were customers, while the rest were shop assistants and security staff. Most suffered minor bruises and cuts, though one male customer in his 30s had broken bones in his leg from the falling glass.

Local police and work safety authorities are saying that the cause of the accident is still under investigation. The aquarium, which opened two years ago, was made of acrylic glass that was about 15 centimeters thick.

Following the sudden burst of the tank, several cosmetics counters inside the shopping center were damaged as water flooded the pedestrian street. Police rushed to the scene and closed it off while they assessed the damage. Meanwhile, the dead sharks, which were around 30-40 cm in length, lay scattered around until the authorities removed them from the scene.

It’s not the first time the tank has had safety issues. In June, four turtles were removed from the tank after a water pipe broke, killing two sharks.

“We will not build an aquarium again in the future,” said Chen Yongping, an official with the store’s management.

Images via sina.com.cn.





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