New York: Hong Kong’s famous Jumbo Floating Restaurant encountered “adverse conditions” as it was passing the Xisha Islands, also known as the Paracel Islands, in the South China Sea, and water entered the vessel and it began to tip, according to Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises Ltd.
No crew members were injured, said the Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises in a statement posted on Twitter.
“Despite the efforts of the towing company responsible for the trip to rescue the vessel, unfortunately, it capsized on Sunday.” The company added it was “very saddened” by this incident.
The Jumbo Floating Restaurant, almost 80 meters (260 feet) in length, had been a landmark in Hong Kong for over four decades, serving Cantonese cuisine to over 3 million guests including Queen Elizabeth II and Tom Cruise.
The restaurant was towed away last Tuesday (Jun 14). The company said it planned to move it to a lower-cost site where maintenance could be carried out.
In 2020, Jumbo ceased operations due to the coronavirus outbreak. After months of Covid-19 restrictions, its parent company was unable to find a new owner and lacked the funds to maintain it.
