NORTH FACE CO FOUNDER DOUGLAS TOMPKINS DIES IN KAYAKING ACCIDENT

The US clothing billionaire Douglas Tompkins has died in a kayaking accident in southern Chile, aged 72.

The North Face and Esprit co-founder died of hypothermia after the kayaks he and five others were in capsized in strong waves, authorities said. He was taken by helicopter to hospital in Coyhaique but had stopped breathing when he arrived, doctors said.

Mr Tompkins bought up large tracts of land in Chilean and Argentine Patagonia to keep them pristine.