Shoppers escaped unhurt after a number of decorative panels crashed from the ceiling at Dubai’s Ibn Battuta Mall a fortnight ago.
A section of the mall, developed by Nakheel, was cordoned off and shops were closed following the collapse. According to Nakheel nobody was hurt.
“I saw a crowd of security people closing up part of the mall and telling everybody to move,” said Layla N who witnessed the incident and declined to identify herself further.
“They didn’t allow us to pass through and put security tape all over the place. I didn’t know it was a ceiling. It looked more like a column.”
According to a Nakheel spokesperson, “The main area has been boarded up but there is access surrounding the area.” The master developer is currently working on repairing the damage.
An investigation was launched within 72 hours of the collapse, though no results have been returned. The fall happened in the mall’s Egypt Court area near a branch of Starbucks coffee shop.
Mall security guards immediately began herding shoppers around the fallen debris before beginning a swift clear-up.
“They made us feel like nothing really happened,” said Layla. “They also immediately brought a mobile crane into the mall and started removing the collapsed structure.”
Nakheel has ambitious plans for Ibn Battuta Mall, currently the largest themed shopping mall in the world. Construction work is set to begin in November on extensions to the mall, the spokesperson said.
Reports have stated the planned extensions will total 250,000 m2, more than double the current size of the mall.
Nakheel also denied recent reports that it plans to build a roller-coaster on the roof of the mall.
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