A cruise ship lost control before docking in Venice’s San Basilio terminal where at least five people were injured.
The accident happened about 8:30am Sunday local time at Giudecca Canal, one of the busiest waterways in Venice.
MSC Opera is owned by MSC Cruises. It started sailing in 2004 and is registered in Panama City, Panama. This cruise ship has 1071 cabins where 22 percent of the ship’s stateroom have balconies.
It can also carry around 3,000 passengers on a typical sailing. The ship has 728 crew members onboard. The ship’s last major renovation was in 2015.
MSC Cruises, owner of the said cruise ship,said that the ship experienced a mechanical problem as it is docking.
Videos shared on social media shows how the cruise failed to slow down then collided with the much smaller tourist boat.
Passengers even jumped to the water just to save their lives while four female tourists were injured while falling or trying to run away from the accident.
Local authorities reported that at least some people sustained minor injuries.
It’s been a long issue to the city whether cruise ships should be allowed to have access to the waterways since it only bring pollution to their environment.
“Cruise ships must not sail down the Giudecca. We have been working on moving them for months now… and are nearing a solution,†said Environment Minister Sergio Costa in a tweet.
“In addition to protecting the UNESCO heritage city, we have to safeguard the environment, and the safety of citizens and tourists,” Culture Minister Alberto Bonisoli said.
In 2013, the city banned ships that has a weight of 96,000 tonnes to enter Giudecca canal but the legislation was overturned later on.
