Death bridge costs hedge fund £160m

Billionaire hedge fund boss Sir Christopher Hohn emerged as one of the main investors behind the firm that built the bridge that collapsed in Genoa this week leaving at least 39 dead.

The 51-year- old holds a 5pc stake in investment company atlantia which owns bridge operator autostrade.

Shares in atlantia plunged more than 30pc earlier this week after the bridge collapsed on Tuesday, but have recovered slightly since. Hohn is thought to have lost more than £160m from the share price crash so far this week.

atlantia is controlled by the holding company for the Benetton family, famous for its clothing empire.

Hohn was at the centre of a bitter power struggle at the london Stock exchange in november when he encouraged investors to sack the group’s chairman Donald Brydon. But Brydon survived a shareholder vote.