Hong Kong's Iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant Just Capsized & It's Totally Underwater Now
It's not floating anymore...
Hong Kong's Jumbo floating restaurant.
Hong Kong's most famous floating landmark has hit rock bottom – literally!
The Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurant boat, one of Hong Kong's most popular eateries, sank into the harbour over the weekend, after a mishap occurred while the old ship was being towed away.
Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises, the boat's parent company, explained that the three-story vessel sank on Sunday, near the Paracel Islands after encountering "adverse conditions" which caused an influx of water, CNN reported.
The floating restaurant had been recently decommissioned after a 50-year run, and it was being towed away to a shipyard when it capsized in the South China Sea.
"The water depth at the scene is over 1,000 meters, making it extremely difficult to carry out salvage works," Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises said.
The restaurant closed up in March 2020 due to the pandemic, its website shows.
People took to Twitter to post the moment when the ship was being towed away after half a century at the harbour.
\u201cFoghorns sound as Jumbo Floating Restaurant is towed out of Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter after going out of business. #jumbofloatingrestaurant #jumbo #jumbokingdom\u201d— Stefan Irvine (@Stefan Irvine) 1655190856
"End of an icon," said @jonnnyw in a tweet, with a time-lapse of the vessel being pulled away from its location.
\u201cEnd of an icon #jumbo #jumbofloatingrestaurant #hongkong #hk\u201d— Jonny (@Jonny) 1655183005
Others shared their experiences and memories from dining on the boat, which according to CNN had a 2,000-person capacity.
\u201cSad news - I made a point of visiting when I was working in HK in 2017 and ate some excellent seafood. An old lady took us there in a sampan. #jumbofloatingrestaurant https://t.co/bkpw1FKFn2\u201d— Alex Evans (@Alex Evans) 1655799662
The restaurant has seen more than 30 million guests come through over the years, according to its website. Many celebrities have also visited the ship, including Queen Elizabeth II and Tom Cruise.
While the main restaurant boat is underwater, CNN reported that two associated boats are still operational.