Venice Lagoon boat collision kills fisherman, leaves wife missing

A tragic boating accident in the Venice Lagoon has resulted in the death of 25-year-old fisherman Sean Michieli and left his wife, 26-year-old Brazilian national Gabriella Querino, missing.

The collision occurred in the early hours of Saturday, September 12, in the Tessera Canal when the couple’s small boat struck a water taxi. Michieli was rushed to the Angelo Hospital in Mestre with severe head trauma and was later declared brain dead.

Search operations for Querino are ongoing, involving divers from the Vigili del Fuoco, helicopters, and Carabinieri. While her personal documents and belongings were recovered near the site of the collision, she has not yet been located. Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the crash, noting that the area lacks surveillance cameras and the incident occurred in darkness. The prosecutor's office in Venice has opened an inquiry into nautical homicide.