Dining
What it takes to turn a 5-room HDB flat into a private dining pizzeria
By Marcus Chen
Hong Kong’s Jumbo Floating Restaurant catches fire before opening, kills 34 – SCMP archive
Katherine Langford
Katherine Langford
Editor-in-Chief · Edina, MN
Katherine oversees editorial operations across all six brands. Before joining The Meridan Group, she spent 14 years at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, where she led the metro desk through its digital transformation. She holds a Master's in Journalism from Northwestern's Medill School.
More from Katherine →Editor-in-Chief · Saturday, October 31, 2026 at 3:15 AM · 1 min read
This story was first published on October 31, 1971. Aberdeen was yesterday (October 30, 1971) rocked by a tremendous explosion followed by fire which swept through the $14 million Jumbo Restaurant, killing 13 and injuring at least 42 others on board. It happened so quickly that within five minutes, fire engulfed the four-decked floating restaurant, reducing it to a charred hulk. Hundreds of people leapt for life from the decks and from the pagoda-shaped towers of the palatial restaurant. It was...
Up nextWhat it takes to turn a 5-room HDB flat into a private dining pizzeriaDining · 1 min read
