Dubai Mall car parks closed over suspected gas leak

Police and fire trucks are dealing with another suspected gas leak near the Dubai Mall.

Shoppers were prevented from entering several sections of the mall this morning as emergency services vehicles assembled outside.

Security staff said they had turned off supply from a gas plant located outside the mall close to the fashion entrance on Emaar Boulevard, where a pungent smell could be detected. The parking area has since been cordoned off, although the gas in question was not immediately known.

A spokesman for Emaar, which operates the mall, said, "There has been no incident of any gas leakage in the mall. The gas leak was reported in the vicinity, and as a precautionary measure, and as part of our commitment to the highest safety standards, we worked with the concerned authorities to divert traffic and pedestrians. The authorities are investigating the incident."

This is the second time in as many months that a suspected gas leak has taken place in the mall vicinity.

On March 31, another suspected leak forced the emergency evacuation of visitors and staff from the Reel Cinemas wing of the mall. Police dismissed the leak as helium gas and blamed two youngsters for emptying gas from balloons into the cinema area.

They said the the gas was harmless despite cinema goers' complaints of nausea and dizziness.

pkannan@thenational.ae