How deadly fire at Hong Kong’s Jumbo floating restaurant killed 34 in 1971, before it even opened
In one of the deadliest accidents in the city, the four-deck structure was engulfed in flames within minutes. Now a must-visit for tourists, the restaurant was eventually rebuilt and opened five years later, in 1976
“Aberdeen holocaust: 13 killed, 42 hurt,” ran the headline in the South China Morning Post on October 31, 1971.
“Aberdeen was yesterday rocked by a tremendous explosion followed by a fire which swept through the $14 million Jumbo restaurant,” the story continued. “It happened so quickly that within five minutes, fire had engulfed the four-deck floating restaurant, reducing it to a charred hulk. Hundreds of people leapt from the pagoda-shaped towers of the palatial restaurant. It was a frantic scene of struggle for survival which grasped boat people and weekend yachtsmen nearby who watched in horror.
“Cause of the high toll was the presence on board of 200 painters, welders and workers putting the finishing touches for the opening of the restaurant scheduled for November 17.”
Classic Hong Kong restaurants: Jumbo Kingdom, Aberdeen Harbour
“The four children, aged between four and 14, were left on board as their parents and two elder sisters went ashore to work. When the fire broke out, none of them was able to escape, the three older ones being cripples and the youngest only four years old.”