Tourism17 September, 20262 min read
Fishing Boat Collision Kills Sean Michieli And Pregnant Wife Gabriella Querino In Venice Lagoon
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Sean Michieli and Gabriella Querino died when fishing boat collided with a water taxi. Autopsy indicates Gabriella Querino died at impact; she stopped breathing upon water entry.
Venice lagoon crash
Sean Michieli, 25, and his pregnant wife, Gabriella Querino, 26, died after their fishing boat collided with a water taxi in the Venice lagoon near the island of Tessera.
The collision happened early Sept. 12 as the couple traveled through the Venice lagoon, and it reported that the impact threw the newlyweds into the water and sank their boat.
The collision occurred in the early hours of Saturday, September 12, in the Tessera channel, when the small motorboat in which the couple was sailing was rammed by a nearly five-ton taxi boat.
Autopsies determined Querino died at the very moment of the crash, and it quoted the account that “When she fell into the water, she was no longer breathing.”
Querino remained missing as authorities launched an extensive search involving divers, a helicopter and jet skis, and her body was recovered from the lagoon several days later.
Autopsy and investigation
Prosecutor Daniela Moroni ordered expert evidence and the taxi driver appears as a suspect for double nautical homicide and reckless shipwreck. The Prosecutor’s Office appointed forensic doctor Silvano Zancaner and the court ordered comprehensive toxicological analyses of both victims, with samples from the taxi driver also being analyzed. The autopsy determined that Gabriella died at the moment of impact and quoted, “When she fell into the water she was not breathing.”
Initial tests on the driver, a 38-year-old man, detected traces of alcohol and psychoactive substances, while the blood alcohol level remained below 0.5 g/L. The technical expert assessment would begin on reconstructing the accident, including measuring speeds and trajectories, and it said the taxi driver claimed the motorboat burst in from the right at high speed with barely any contact.
Tourism stakes in Venice
Simone Venturini, the mayor of Venice, described the incident as “a tragic event that gripped our entire city and ended in a very painful way.” Monica Sambo, a Democratic Party regional councillor, said officials were waiting for the results of the investigation to “fully clarify the circumstances of the accident.” Sambo added that the case highlights “the need for serious regulation and monitoring of water traffic [in Venice], as well as proper canal lighting to ensure the safety of everyone navigating the lagoon.”
Democratic Party regional councilor Monica Sambo emphasized “the need for serious regulation and monitoring of water traffic [in Venice], as well as proper canal lighting to ensure the safety of everyone navigating the lagoon.” Luca Zaia, president of the Regional Council of Veneto, called the fatal boat crash “an immense tragedy for a family that was just beginning to build their future.”