Iceberg wall at world's largest Titanic museum collapses, hospitalizing 3 visitors

The museum attraction includes letting "visitors touch a real iceberg."
Icebergs near Ilulissat, Greenland. Climate change is having a profound effect in Greenland with glaciers and the Greenland ice cap retreating.
By Natalia Mittelstadt

An iceberg wall collapsed at the world's largest Titanic museum in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., injuring and hospitalizing three visitors, museum officials said.  

"Tonight, an accident occurred at our Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge," the owners of the museum, Mary Kellogg Joslyn and John Joslyn posted Monday on Facebook. "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.

"Needless to say, we never would have expected an incident like this to occur as the safety of our guests and crew members are always top of mind. We take pride in the quality of our maintenance and have measures in place to ensure that appropriate safety guidelines are upheld. At this time, our Pigeon Forge Attraction is closed. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were injured, as well as their family and friends."

The Pigeon Forge Police Department confirmed the incident occurred just before 8 p.m. on Monday, according to Knox News.

Police did not know on Tuesday the conditions of those injured, the outlet reported.

After the accident on Monday, the attraction was closed, but reopened Tuesday morning to visitors with tickets. The iceberg wall area is closed off, and the display is likely to take several weeks to rebuild, according to the owners' statement.

"Our maintenance professionals are in the process of reevaluating our quality and safety guidelines and we'll make all modifications, as necessary, to proactively ensure the well-being of all who experience Titanic Museum Attractions," the statement continued.

The museum attraction boasts letting visitors "experience what it was like to walk the hallways, parlors, cabins and Grand Staircase of the Titanic while surrounded by more than 400 artifacts directly from the ship and its passengers. As visitors touch a real iceberg, walk the Grand Staircase and third class hallways, reach their hands into 28-degree water, and try to stand on the sloping decks, they learn what it was like on the RMS Titanic by experiencing it first-hand," according to the website.