Newlyweds Killed in Venice Water Taxi Collision

A newlywed couple was killed in a collision between their boat and a water taxi in the Venetian Lagoon on Saturday morning. Gabriella Querino, 26, and Sean Michieli, 25, had been married for three months.

The couple had departed from the island of Burano, northeast of Venice, to collect bait for Michieli's work as a clam fisherman. Their boat collided with a five-ton water taxi and subsequently sank.

Michieli was transported to Venice-Mestre Hospital with severe injuries and was later pronounced brain-dead. Querino was initially reported missing, but her body was later recovered from the lagoon. Search efforts were reportedly hampered by strong currents and poor visibility.

Querino, originally from Brazil, had moved to Italy about two years prior and had developed a passion for fishing alongside her husband, who was from Cavallino-Treporti, Italy. According to reports, the couple was expecting their first child.

The water taxi driver is under investigation for nautical homicide as authorities work to determine the circumstances of the collision. The exact cause remains unknown.

This incident follows a series of deadly boating accidents globally in recent weeks, including a passenger ferry sinking in Vanuatu that left one dead and over 30 missing, and a ferry capsizing off northern Cyprus that resulted in multiple fatalities.