Microsoft billionaire’s ship toppled over, injuring 25

A massive ship owned by the estate of billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen toppled over Wednesday from strong winds in a Scottish dry dock, sending 15 people to the hospital.

Twenty-five people were injured when the 250-foot ship tipped over from its holding around 8:30 a.m. at Imperial Dock in Leith, Edinburgh, the Scottish Ambulance Service said.

Five ambulances, an air ambulance and three trauma teams responded to the dock, eventually bringing 15 people to hospitals, the Telegraph reported.

Officials have not disclosed their conditions. An additional 10 people were treated for injuries at the dock.

Pictures shared on social media show the colossal ship leaning at a 45-degree angle.

The research vessel owned by Allen’s estate had previously been used in deep-water searches for shipwrecks and war graves at sea but was put into long-term moorage in 2020 due to “operation challenges” during the Covid pandemic.

Allen co-founded Microsoft Corporation with his childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975. He was ranked the 44th wealthiest person in the world with a net worth of $20.3 billion just before he died in 2018 at the age of 65.

The billionaire died as a result of septic shock three weeks after announcing the return of his non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a type of cancer that had been in remission for about a decade.

His ship, named Tatoosh, is considered to be the 60th largest superyacht in the world. At one point Allen owned a second mega yacht, called Octopus, which was the 20th largest ship in the world.

The coast guard also arrived at the docks to provide assistance following the shocking incident. Local politicians in Leith shared their good wishes for those injured in the incident on social media while urging others to avoid the area.

“Emergency services are responding to a major incident at Leith docks — a ship has been dislodged from its holding in strong winds. Terrifying for those on board, my thoughts are with those who’ve been injured & hope everyone recovers quickly,” Leith councilor Adam McVey wrote on Twitter.

City of Edinburgh Council Leader Cammy Day said he was “deeply concerned” by the incident and wished those injured a speedy recovery.

The National Health Service Lothian urged people to avoid the hospital if possible due to an influx of patients being sent from the docks.

“We’re on standby to receive a number of patients at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh’s A&E department following a major incident at the Imperial Docks in Leith,” Jacquie Campbell, chief officer of acute services at NHS Lothian said in a statement.

“We have been reviewing the current capacity at RIE, with support from other sites, to prepare to accommodate these patients,” Campbell said.

“Given the expected pressure on the site, we urge people not to attend A&E at the RIE unless it’s an emergency.”