An executive at Britain’s pay-TV group BSkyB and his eight-year-old daughter were killed in a speedboat incident while on holiday in southwest England. His wife and three other children were also airlifted to hospital, Sky said.
Nicholas Milligan (51), who was managing director of Sky Media, the advertising sales arm of BSkyB which is 39-per cent-owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, died after he and five family members were thrown into the water in an estuary off the popular resort of Padstow yesterday afternoon.
Mr Milligan and his daughter were pronounced dead at the scene.
His 39-year-old wife and three other children, a 4-year-old boy and two girls aged 10 and 12, were airlifted to hospital where they were treated for a range of injuries, some of which police described as “life changing”.
“Everyone at Sky is deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic accident involving the Milligan family,” a Sky spokesman said in a statement.
“Nick has been a great friend and colleague for many years and his loss will be felt across our company and the industry.”
The coastguards said members of the public reported the boat had appeared to be out of control and had struck some of those in the water. Witnesses said the boat was only brought under control when a man jumped on board from another vessel.
Police said they were examining the speedboat, believed to be owned by the family, to try to determine the cause of the accident.
Milligan was not a member of the Sky board but had headed up the Sky Media division since 2004. He was previously at Britain’s Channel 5 where he had been one of the channel’s founding directors from 1996.
Reuters