A boating accident in the Venice lagoon has claimed the lives of a young married couple, with the discovery of Gabriella Querino’s body bringing a three-day search to an end.

Querino, a 26-year-old Brazilian, was found near Campalto Island on September 15. Her husband, Sean Michieli, 25, had been rescued following the collision but was declared brain-dead on September 13. The accident happened on September 12 in the Tessera canal, close to Venice’s Marco Polo Airport. Reporting by Folha de S.Paulo

The couple lived on Burano, where Michieli worked as a fisherman. According to relatives cited in local reporting, they were believed to have set out before dawn to collect bait when their small boat collided with a water taxi and sank.

Michieli was taken to the Ospedale dell’Angelo in Mestre with severe head injuries. Firefighters and specialist divers continued searching the lagoon for Querino, supported by a helicopter and jet skis. Murky water and changing tides complicated the operation. Reporting by L’Unione Sarda

The pair had married in June, only three months before the accident. Querino, originally from Ribeirão Preto in Brazil, had moved to Italy and was building a life with her husband. Brazil’s consulate in Milan is assisting her family and following developments with local authorities. Reporting by UOL, Folha de S.Paulo

Investigators are working to establish how the vessels collided. The water taxi driver reportedly described darkness and fog and said he had not seen the smaller boat before impact. Investigators seized both vessels for examination as part of the inquiry. The cited reporting has not established responsibility for the crash. Reporting by Wanted in Milan