A senior executive with British broadcaster BSkyB has died in a speedboat accident that also killed his 8-year-old daughter and left four other family members injured, police said today.
Devon and Cornwall Police said 51-year-old Nicholas Milligan, managing director of the broadcaster's advertising sales arm Sky Media, was killed in the accident yesterday in the resort of Padstow, southwest England.
Detective Supt. Jim Colwell said Milligan's 8-year-old daughter, Emily, also died.
Milligan's 39-year-old wife, Victoria, and the couple's 4-year-old son, Kit, are being treated in hospital for "serious, potentially life-changing injuries," he said.
Daughters Amber, 12, and Olivia, 10, suffered minor injuries.
Witnesses and coast guards said the six were thrown from a motorboat, which then ran out of control in circles until other people were able to jump aboard and stop the engine.
Nicholas Milligan's brother Max recalled him as "an extremely loving father and husband" who had built his dream home in the coastal town.
BSkyB said in a statement that everyone at the company "is deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic accident involving the Milligan family".
One of Britain's biggest broadcasters, BSkyB is effectively controlled by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Through a 39-per cent stake.
