boxing day 2012: Shocking moment 33-ton shark tank burst in shopping centre injuring 15 people as it sent shards of broken glass flying into a crowd

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Shocking moment 33-ton shark tank burst in shopping centre injuring 15 people as it sent shards of broken glass flying into a crowd

PUBLISHED: 16:37 EST, 26 December 2012 | UPDATED: 16:40 EST, 26 December 2012

This is the shocking moment a 33-ton glass shark tank suddenly burst leaving 15 people injured by flying shards of broken glass.

The tank was an attraction at the entrance to the Shanghai Orient shopping centre in China's second city when it shattered without warning on December 19.

Eight of those hurt were customers and the rest were shop assistants and security staff. They mostly suffered deep cuts and bruises from sheets of broken glass.

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Ready to burst: The tank was an attraction at the entrance to the Shanghai Orient shopping centre in China's second city

A rush of water and broken glass bursts out of the tank and heads towards the people looking at it

Water engulfs the area in front of the shark tank pouring over everything before it

A police spokesman said: 'There were lots of injuries caused by flying glass, some of them serious because the glass was so thick. We are investigating what caused this.'

Three lemon sharks and dozens of turtles and smaller fish, which were housed in the aquarium, were also victims of the accident that was caught on CCTV.

In the footage below, it is possible to see that the majority of the people were standing right near the aquarium when it exploded.

Shoppers fled in panic as shards of 15cm thick acrylic glass gave way, flooding the entrance of the shopping centre.

Wreckage: Fifteen people were left injured and the front of the display was left ruined

The CCTV footage showed sheets of broken glass left strewn across the floor in Shanghai

In another part of the shopping centre a shop worker was shown injured and was carried off

High-end make-up counters were damaged in the December 19 incident

While no official reason has been given for the accident, customers said that they believe a sudden drop in temperature may have caused the burst, as the weather apparently grew much colder in Shanghai last week.

The aquarium was reportedly very popular when it first opened before the National Day holiday two years ago, but there have been problems with the tank before, as in June a ruptured water pipe led to the death of two sharks and the removal of several turtles.

Chen Yongping, an official with the shopping centre management, said that they are not going to 'build an aquarium again in the future'.