3 minWorld
Newlywed Couple Killed in Venice Lagoon Boat Collision
A young Brazilian-Italian couple died after their fishing boat collided with a water taxi near Burano, leaving a community in mourning and authorities investigating the cause.
A newlywed couple died Saturday morning after their small fishing boat collided with a water taxi in the Venice lagoon and sank, Italian authorities said. Gabriella Querino, 26, and Sean Michieli, 25, had been married just three months earlier, on June 8.
The couple had set out from Burano, an island in the Venetian Lagoon about six miles northeast of central Venice, to collect bait for Michieli's work as a clam fisherman. Shortly after departing, their boat collided with a five-ton water taxi and went under. Querino was initially reported missing, and search efforts were hampered by strong currents and poor visibility. Her body was eventually recovered from the lagoon.
Michieli was pulled from the water and rushed to Venice-Mestre Hospital with severe head and facial injuries and trauma across his body. He was pronounced brain-dead the following day.
Querino was originally from Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, and had moved to Italy about two years ago. She developed a passion for fishing alongside her husband, who was from Cavallino-Treporti, Italy. According to Italian media, she was working to obtain the necessary license to join him in the fishing industry. The couple was expecting their first child, the newspaper Il Resto del Carlino reported.
Querino's mother, Gisele Elorriaga, told Brazilian media that her daughter «was building a life for herself over there, and she was happy.»
The cause of the collision remains unknown. The water taxi driver is under investigation for nautical homicide as authorities work to determine the circumstances surrounding the crash, according to Italian news outlet. The Venice Public Prosecutor's Office has not released additional details about the investigation.
The tragedy comes amid a series of deadly boating incidents around the world in recent weeks. Last week, a passenger ferry carrying 47 people sank while traveling between two islands in Vanuatu, leaving at least one person dead and more than 30 others missing. Just a few weeks earlier, a ferry carrying 267 passengers and crew capsized off northern Cyprus, killing multiple people.
In Venice, the collision has renewed attention on the safety of the lagoon's busy waterways, where small fishing boats, water taxis, and other vessels frequently share narrow channels. The investigation is ongoing.
