A passenger ferry in Venice lost control on February 10, 2026, and crashed into two tourist gondolas on the Grand Canal near the Rialto Bridge, throwing several passengers into the water after what authorities described as a mechanical failure.
Emergency crews rescued at least nine people, including tourists and a gondolier, with no fatalities reported and only minor injuries and early signs of hypothermia treated on site.
The collision involved a public transport vessel operating along one of Venice’s busiest waterways, where traffic is dense with ferries, water taxis, and private boats serving both residents and visitors. The incident disrupted canal traffic for several hours as responders secured the damaged gondolas and inspected the ferry.
What happened on the Grand Canal
Video recorded from the canal-side walkways shows the vessel travelling diagonally across the Grand Canal at speed and appearing unable to slow as it approached traffic near the Rialto Bridge. Multiple reports said the operator struggled to control the ferry after a mechanical issue affected the vessel’s gearing, leaving it unable to decelerate in time before reaching the busy corridor around the bridge.
@WomanDefiner The Italians getting Indian ferry pilots already under the EU plan…
“Ferry slams into gondola throwing holidaymakers into the water before crashing head-on into historic building in Venice’s Grand Canal” pic.twitter.com/U7kkVe7vaq— DosXXMachina (@TheDosXXMachina) February 9, 2026
According to accounts cited by international media, the ferry narrowly avoided 2 police boats before scraping part of the Rialto Bridge structure and continuing along the canal. It then struck a pier area and collided with 2 gondolas, one of which had passengers on board. The impact tipped the gondola, and 8 passengers and the gondolier fell into the canal. Responders reached the scene quickly, pulling all 9 people from the water and providing immediate assistance along the canal edge.
The ferry continued drifting after the collisions and later came to a stop after striking canal-side infrastructure. Local authorities managed the scene from the water, and nearby boat operators also assisted in the initial moments as people entered the canal.
Alilaguna, which operates airport shuttle services and other routes across the Venetian lagoon, runs vessels that connect Venice to Venice Marco Polo Airport. Media coverage described the ferry involved as part of Alilaguna’s regular operations, and reports said it had been travelling toward the city’s Santa Lucia station area when the mechanical problem became apparent.
Officials did not immediately report major structural damage to the Rialto Bridge itself, but the incident caused visible damage to at least one gondola and raised immediate concerns because the collision occurred in one of the city’s most congested and high-profile tourist zones. The Rialto corridor is one of Venice’s busiest transit zones for pedestrians and boats and among the Grand Canal’s narrowest bottlenecks, where constant crossing traffic leaves little room for emergency manoeuvres, a pressure that intensifies during the Venice Carnival as visitor numbers surge across the historic centre.
While Venice relies on water transport for daily commuting, freight movement and tourism, the Grand Canal’s shared-use conditions create operational complexity, particularly when large vessels must navigate close to smaller craft. Gondolas typically travel at low speed and have limited capacity to evade a fast-moving vessel, while ferry operators face constraints linked to visibility, water traffic density and the canal’s narrow turning angles around bridge approaches and landings.
In the hours after the crash, authorities monitored the waterway for floating debris and assessed the safety of navigation in the immediate area. Water traffic along parts of the Grand Canal slowed during the emergency response, with police and rescue vessels occupying lanes as responders secured the damaged gondolas and checked that no one remained in the water.
Photo Credit: oneinchpunch / Shutterstock.com
