Staff Report
Dubai: The Dubai Mall on Monday evening witnessed nearly two hours power outage. The mall-wide blackout suspended the operations and left thousands in the dark at the world largest mall.
The blackout hit the mall at 7.13 pm when escalators, cash tills and power-driven machinery came to a complete halt at the more than 1,000 commercial establishments, leaving only the mall’s emergency exit lights and shoppers’ mobile phone flashlights on.
The power outage incident did not cause panic among mall-goers, as police personnel immediately arrived at the scene and the back-up power for elevators worked.
This was the second major power service interruption to hit Downtown Burj Khalifa during a week. Last week, an hour-long outage left three residential buildings opposite Burj Khalifa in darkness, prompting tenants to vacate their premises.
However, the latest outage did not affect the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower attached to the mall, and Souq Al Bahar, a traditional market in Dubai’s Old Town, were not affected.
Soon after the blackout, retailers asked visitors and shoppers to vacate the premises, as cashiers at boutiques and waiters at restaurants stopped serving customers, and security staff cordoned the entrance to the mall from the Dubai Metro side.