Nobody can imagine what happened at the beginning of August in the popular tourist region in southern Italy: 45-year-old Adrienne Vaughan - President of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc. and publisher of the Harry Potter series - wanted to enjoy her summer holiday with her husband and two children, aged twelve and eight. On that day, the family was on board a rented boat - including the skipper. According to various media reports, the boat collided with the 45-metre-long "Tortuga" off the Fiordo di Furore for reasons as yet unexplained. The sailing ship can be hired for events. A wedding celebration was taking place on board.
Coastguard deployed to rescue Adrienne Vaughan
According to the Italian news agency AnsaThe impact was very violent and Adrienne Vaughan was thrown into the water. She was sunbathing at the time. As the Italian newspaper La Stampa reports, the 45-year-old was caught between the hulls and the propellers, which were still moving, causing deep wounds to various parts of her body. After the coastguard brought the seriously injured woman to the pier in Amalfi, doctors tried to resuscitate her. However, by the time the helicopter landed to transport her to hospital, the 45-year-old had already died.
The publisher's husband suffered several wounds and a bruised shoulder. The children were uninjured, as the reports go on to say. The 30-year-old skipper of the rented motorboat sustained an injury to his arm. A blood sample was taken from him, which was tested for alcohol or drugs. Several Media report a positive result, but it remains unclear on which substance.
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Investigation proceedings opened against the skipper
As a result of the collision, an investigation was opened against the skipper of the rented motorboat. The German media also reported on the accident, writing t-onlinethat the Italian was being investigated "on suspicion of manslaughter and causing a shipwreck", explained Giuseppe Borrelli, Chief Public Prosecutor for the province of Salerno, at a press conference on Saturday (5 August). Both boats were also confiscated for the investigation. More than 70 wedding guests who were on the sailing boat at the time of the accident were questioned for the investigation.
Adrienne Vaughan was appointed President of the US branch of Bloomsbury in 2021. The UK-based publishing house is primarily known for the "Harry Potter" series, whose seven novels are among the best-selling books of all time.
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Leonie Meyer
Editor News & Panorama
