Hong Kong's iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant is stuck upside down on a coral reef after capsizing earlier this summer

  • Hong Kong's Jumbo Floating Restaurant is now belly up and stuck on a coral reef, South China Morning Post reported.

  • The iconic tourist attraction began to sink earlier this year after capsizing in the South China Sea.

  • The restaurant closed its doors in 2020 after the coronavirus decimated travel in the area.

Hong Kong's once-iconic tourist destination, the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, is now belly up and stuck on a coral reef with no one to rescue it.

"We are still looking into the incident. The vessel capsized and keeled over, and was trapped on a reef off Sansha [in Hainan]. As far as I know, this is the latest situation," A Hainan Maritime Safety Administration duty officer said Wednesday, the South China Morning Post reported.

"We cannot say for sure how much longer the investigation will take. It is being conducted in accordance with the relevant laws."

ABERDEEN TYPHOON SHELTER, ABERDEEN, HONG KONG SAR, CHINA - 2022/06/14: The famous Jumbo Floating Restaurant is towed away by tugboats after 46 years as a much-loved tourist attraction in Aberdeen, Hong Kong. The largest floating restaurant in the world had been closed since 2020 after the Covid-19 pandemic devastated the tourism and catering sectors. The attractions parent company Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises announced that the vessel would be taken to a facility outside Hong Kong for storage and repairs. (Photo by Stefan Irvine/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The officer also noted, "there is no threat to the safety of navigation in the area," but declined to further discuss the status of the Jumbo Floating Restaurant.

The pandemic forced the restaurant to halt operations in 2020, and, after suffering more than $12.4 million in losses, the floating eatery ultimately closed its doors for good.

Tugboats removed the restaurant from its floating location on the south side of Hong Kong Island in June.

This photo taken on June 13, 2022 shows a kitchen barge (R) attached to the main section of the Jumbo Floating Restaurant sitting on its side after capsizing, in the typhoon shelter near Aberdeen on the south side of Hong Kong island. - Local newspapers have reported the restaurant, which has been closed due to Covid-19 and lack of tourists since 2020, will exit the city after its owner suffered extensive losses. (Photo by Bertha WANG / AFP) (Photo by BERTHA WANG/AFP via Getty Images)
This photo taken on June 13, 2022 shows a kitchen barge (R) attached to the main section of the Jumbo Floating Restaurant sitting on its side after capsizing, in the typhoon shelter near Aberdeen on the south side of Hong Kong island.BERTHA WANG/AFP via Getty Images

Once it was removed from the shoreline, the vessel began capsizing earlier this year when it took on water following a typhoon.

"Water soon entered before it began to tip," the company said in a statement, adding that it was "saddened by this accident," per AFP.

Jumbo Floating Restaurant, 1993
Jumbo Floating Restaurant, 1993Alain BUU/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Image

For 46 years the Jumbo Floating Restaurant drew international attention as the largest floating restaurant in the world, capable of seating 2,300 diners.

While in service, the eatery astonished celebrities and tourists alike with its selection of more than 60 types of fresh seafood for their meals, including crabs, lobster, and a variety of fish.

nderwater photo taken on April 30, 2016 shows fish and coral reefs in the sea near Sansha city of south China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Li Ming via Getty Images)
Underwater photo taken on April 30, 2016 shows fish and coral reefs in the sea near Sansha city of south China's Hainan Province.Xinhua/Li Ming via Getty Images

It is unclear if authorities intend to rescue to famous dining room from its current watery resting place.

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