Florida: Watch Disney World T-Rex Cafe Customers Flee as Giant Fish Tank Explodes

Customers at a Florida restaurant were forced to flee when a huge aquarium burst open, flooding the room with tank water.

The incident occurred at the T-Rex Cafe in the Downtown Disney complex in Walt Disney World Florida, where family-orientated fun turned into chaos as the staff struggled to control the flood with nets and rubbish bins.

Keith Beitler, a senior vice president of Landry's specialty restaurants division, which owns and operates T-Rex Cafe, said: "A seal failed on the tank causing water to leak."

One customer, Kate Wallace, captured the bizarre moment on video, before being ushered out by workers.

Social media was flooded by similar footage, showing the water flowing out of the circular aquarium and onto the floor of the dinosaur-themed restaurant.

Wallace told CNN affiliate Bay News 9 that restaurant workers rushed in to usher customers out of the way and to save the fish.

She said: "Employees took action and did a great job rescuing all of the marine life, caring for our guests and managing the situation. The marine life has been moved to holding tanks and the restaurant is open for business as usual."

Wallace also told the Orlando Sentinel: "There was a lot of commotion. The whole section just sort of went crazy.

"The staff — they were doing the best job that they could. It was craziness. Just kind of people freaking out. It's not something that you see very often. How do you respond to that?"

Wallace, a freelance public-relations professional, said it looked like a seam had opened up along the side of the tank. There were no reports of injuries.

According to Landry's, all the marine life were rescued alive.

T-Rex is in the Downtown Disney complex, which includes restaurants, entertainment and shops. Downtown Disney sits outside Disney's theme parks in Orlando.

More tank trouble

In December 2012, 16 people were hurt after an aquarium burst in a shopping centre in Shanghai.

The 33 tonne tank which was home to fish, sharks and turtles shattered without warning in the Orient mall.

The incident was captured on video and three lemon sharks, as well as fish and turtles were killed.

Investigators say a combination of low temperatures and weak materials caused the catastrophic collapse.