The curse of RMS Titanic has struck again – this time not in the middle of the north Atlantic but at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Tennessee. An ice wall, representing the iceberg that caused the “unsinkable” ship to sink in 1912, collapsed on Monday at the museum in Pigeon Forge.
In a message posted on social media, the owners of the Titanic attraction said: “Our iceberg wall collapsed and injured three guests, who were taken to the hospital. At this time, we do not know the extent of their injuries, and our thoughts and prayers continue to be with all who were affected, including the first-responders.”
The museum was closed for a period but reopened on Tuesday morning, with no iceberg. “The iceberg wall does not currently exist, and the affected area has been blocked off, for the time being. We anticipate it will take at least four weeks for the iceberg to rebuild,” said the owners, Mary Kellogg Joslyn and John Joslyn.
The ice wall, described as previously being about 15ft by 28ft (4.6 x 8.5 metres), consisted of real ice that visitors could touch. It was grown and regrown using a water filtration system.
The Pigeon Forge police department have investigated the incident, and said in a statement that the collapse appeared to be accidental. The museum is conducting its own investigation.
The museum claims that its huge outdoor replica of the Titanic is one of the single largest museum attractions anywhere in the world. It houses more than 400 artefacts from the ship and its passengers. The real Titanic sank in the north Atlantic after striking an iceberg in the early hours of 15 April 1912, leading to an estimated 1,500 deaths.