Hong Kong’s floating jumbo restaurant sinks at sea
Jumbo Floating Restaurant, a faded landmark of Hong Kong, sank in the South China Sea after being towed away from the city to an unknown destination.
The imperial palace-shaped vessel capsized on Sunday after taking on water in adverse conditions near the Paracel Islands, its owner Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises Ltd. said in a statement. Salvage would be “extremely difficult” given the water depth of 1,000 meters, it said, adding no crew members were injured.
For more than four decades the Chinese restaurant was a familiar sight in Aberdeen harbor, on the south side of Hong Kong island. Opened by Macau casino mogul Stanley Ho in 1976, it drew visitors including Queen Elizabeth II, and Tom Cruise, according to the restaurant’s website. It also featured in films including Contagion. But its attraction waned in recent years, and the pandemic forced it to suspend operations.
