Brazilian Woman Missing in Venice After Water Taxi Collision

The 26-year-old Brazilian Gabriella Querino Elorriaga remains missing in the Venice Lagoon since the early hours of Saturday (12), when the small fishing boat she was on with her husband collided with a water taxi in the Tessera canal. Her husband, 25-year-old Italian Sean Michieli, died on Sunday (13) after two days hospitalized with severe head trauma. The information comes from Comunità Italiana.

The Accident in Venice Lagoon

According to Comunità Italiana, the couple had left home in the early morning hours to collect worms used as fishing bait, a routine activity for those making their living from artisanal fishing in the region. The small vessel they were navigating was hit by a water taxi in the Tessera canal, an area of intense boat traffic linking Venice to Marco Polo airport.

The impact was violent enough to sink the fishing boat almost immediately. Gabriella and Sean were thrown into the water in the darkness of early morning, in one of the busiest—and also most treacherous—areas of the Venice Lagoon.

Who Are the Victims

Gabriella Querino Elorriaga is from Ribeirão Preto, in the interior of São Paulo, and lived with her husband in Burano, an island in the Venetian lagoon known for its colorful houses and fishing tradition. Comunità Italiana reports that she had moved to Italy after marrying Sean Michieli.

Sean Michieli, 25 years old, belonged to a family of fishermen with a long tradition in the region. He was rescued alive after the accident but suffered severe head trauma and remained hospitalized for two days before dying on Sunday (13).

Search Continues for Brazilian Woman

The search for Gabriella has been intense since Monday (14), with the involvement of firefighters using divers, sonar, helicopters, and rescue vessels to try to locate her in the lagoon. So far, according to Comunità Italiana, the Brazilian woman has not been found.

A bag belonging to Gabriella, containing personal documents, was found near the shipwreck site, which reinforces the hypothesis that she also fell into the water at the moment of the collision. The wreckage of the fishing boat has already been recovered by rescue teams, but the whereabouts of the Brazilian woman remain unknown.

The tragedy exposes the risks faced by those living from artisanal fishing in one of Italy's busiest areas in terms of water traffic—a topic that has resonated in the Italy News and Life in Italy sections aimed at Brazilians residing in the country.

Investigation and Tragic Family History

The water taxi driver involved in the collision was questioned by authorities, and the vessel was seized for expert examination. According to Comunità Italiana, the Venice Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation for culpable maritime homicide, seeking to determine the exact circumstances of the accident and any potential responsibility of the water taxi driver.

The case takes on an even more dramatic dimension given a tragic family history: in 2007, Sean Michieli's uncle died at age 19 in another maritime accident in Venice waters, according to reports. The coincidence has reignited, among lagoon residents, the debate over navigation safety in high-traffic channels like Tessera.

The Brazilian community in Italy is following the case closely, and the outcome of the search for Gabriella is expected to continue mobilizing authorities and family members in the coming days. Cases like this have also led Brazilians living in the country to seek more information about their rights and legal status in Italy, a topic frequently addressed in the Italian Citizenship section of the portal.

Source: Comunità Italiana