VENICE, Italy (AP) — The Latest on the cruise ship crashing into a dock and another river boat in a Venice canal (all times local):

Top Italian officials have immediately called for cruise ships to be banned from using the Giudecca Canal in Venice after an out-of-control cruise ship rammed both a dock and a river tourist boat in the Italian city.

Videos of the crash show the MSC Opera cruise ship, apparently unable to halt its momentum, blaring its horn as it plows into a much smaller river boat and the dock Sunday as people on the dock run away in panic.

Danilo Toninelli, Italy's transport minister, says "today's accident in the port of Venice proves that cruise ships shouldn't be allowed to pass down the Giudecca anymore."

Toninelli says "After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism."

Four older female tourists were injured as they tried to run away as the cruise ship rammed the tourist boat.

MSC Cruises, an international cruise ship line with its headquarters in Geneva, says its ship, the MSC Opera, experienced a mechanical problem Sunday as it was docking at a passenger terminal in Venice. The company says it is cooperating with authorities to figure out what happened.

Videos of the crash show the cruise ship, apparently unable to halt its momentum, blaring its horn as it plows into a much smaller river boat and the dock as people on the dock run away in panic.

The company says the MSC Opera is waiting to be allowed to dock at a terminal where large ships moor at Venice's waterfront.

The MSC Opera was built in 2004. It can carry over 2,675 passengers in 1,071 cabins. According to its sailing schedule, it left Venice on May 26 and traveled to Kotor, Montenegro, and Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu in Greece before returning Sunday to Venice.

A towering cruise ship has struck a dock and a tourist river boat on a busy canal in Venice. Italian media report that at least five people have been injured in the crash.

The collision happened about 8:30 a.m. Sunday on the Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to Saint Mark's Square in the northeastern Italian city. Video of the crash shows the cruise ship, apparently unable to halt its momentum, plowing into the much smaller river boat and the dock as dozens of people run away in panic.

Venice is a tremendously popular site for both tourists and cruise ships, especially during the summer tourist season. </s> A cruise ship has crashed into a dock and river boat in Venice.

The MSC Opera smashed into the busy Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to Saint Mark’s Square, at around 8.30am in Italy today, police confirmed.

At least five people are believed to have been injured in the incident.

Video of the crash shows the cruise ship, apparently unable to halt its momentum, plowing into the much smaller river boat and the dock as dozens of people run away in panic.

Venice is a tremendously popular site for both tourists and cruise ships, especially during the summer tourist season.

The cruise ship’s owner, MSC Cruises, said the ship, the MSC Opera, was about to dock at a passenger terminal in Venice when it had a mechanical problem.

Two towboats guiding the cruise ship into Venice tried to stop the massive cruise ship, but they were unable to prevent it from ramming into the river boat.

Davide Calderan, president of a towboat association in Venice, said: ‘The two towboats tried to stop the giant and then a tow cable broke, cut by the collision with the river boat’.

Calderan said the cruise ship’s engine was locked when the captain called for help.

Following the accident, calls for banning cruise ships in Venice, long a source of contention in the over-extended tourist city, were renewed. </s> VENICE, Italy (AP) — A towering, out-of-control cruise ship rammed into a dock and a tourist river boat on a busy Venice canal on Sunday morning, injuring four tourists and sparking new calls for placing restrictions on cruise ships in the famed but strained tourist city.

The collision happened about 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) on the Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to St. Mark’s Square in the northeastern Italian city.

The cruise ship, apparently unable to stop, blared its horn as it slammed into the much smaller river boat and the dock as dozens of people run away in panic.

Elisabetta Pasqualin was watering plants on her terrace when she heard warning sirens and stepped out to see the crash.

“There was this huge ship in a diagonal position in the Giudecca Canal, with a tugboat near which seemed like it couldn’t do anything,” she said.

She described the ship “advancing slowly but inevitably towards the dock.” She said “the bow of the ship crashed hard into the bank with its massive weight crushing a big piece of it. Sirens were wailing loudly; it was a very dramatic scene.”

When the cruise ship rammed the river boat, she said the smaller vessel looked like it was “made of plastic or paper” rather than steel.

Medical authorities say four female tourists — an American, a New Zealander and two Australians between the ages of 67 and 72 — were injured falling or trying to run away when the cruise ship rammed into the tourist boat, the River Countess.

Venice is a tremendously popular site for both tourists and cruise ships, especially during the summer tourist season.

The cruise ship’s owner, MSC Cruises, said the ship, the MSC Opera, was about to dock at a passenger terminal in Venice when it had a mechanical problem. Two tugboats guiding the cruise ship into Venice tried to stop the massive cruise ship, but they were unable to prevent it from ramming into the river boat.

“The two tugboats tried to stop the giant and then a tow cable broke, cut by the collision with the river boat,” Davide Calderan, president of a tugboat association in Venice, told the Italian news agency ANSA.

Calderan said the cruise ship’s engine was locked when the captain called for help.

Following the collision, calls for banning cruise ships in Venice, long a source of contention in the over-extended tourist city, were renewed.

For many, the crash served as a wake-up call. Opponents say cruise ships are out-of-scale for Venice, cause pollution, endanger the lagoon’s ecosystem and a danger.

“Obviously, we’ve seen today that our worst fears have come true,” said Jane Da Mosto, an environmental scientist and executive director of We Are Here Venice. Her group backs efforts to ban cruise ships from Venice.

“There were 111 people on the river cruise boat that the big ship crashed into. They could have all died,” she said. She said the cruise ship could have plowed through the concrete embankment and “hit houses, monuments and crowds of people.”

“The port authority, the government ministers, the other institutions have often tried to ridicule the resistance movement against the cruise ships, saying that an accident like this could never occur,” she added. “The government shouldn’t be so weak in giving in to the pressure of the lobby groups, like the cruise ship companies.”

The collision came four days after a river cruise ship collided with a sightseeing boat carrying South Korean tourists in Hungary’s capital, killing seven and leaving 21 others missing.

Not everyone in Venice is opposed to the cruise ships. Pasqualin, the woman who witnessed the collision, counted herself among those prior to Sunday’s crash.

“I’ve always been positive about the ships, but I have to admit I’ve started to change my mind now, because this was a tragic, terrible and dramatic scene,” she said.

Italian officials said the collision underscored the need to ban cruise ships from using the busy Giudecca Canal, but they stopped short of calling for a ban on cruise ships.

“Today’s accident in the port of Venice proves that cruise ships shouldn’t be allowed to pass down the Giudecca anymore,” said Danilo Toninelli, Italy’s transport minister. “After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism.”

The MSC Opera was built in 2004. It can carry over 2,675 passengers in 1,071 cabins. According to its sailing schedule, it left Venice on May 26 and traveled to Kotor, Montenegro, and Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu in Greece before returning Sunday to Venice. </s> Italy’s transport minister has called for cruise ships to be banned from using the Giudecca Canal in Venice, after an out-of-control liner rammed a river tourist boat in the Italian city.

Videos of the crash show the MSC Opera cruise ship, apparently unable to halt its momentum, blaring its horn as it ploughs into a much smaller river boat and the dock, as people on the dock run away.

Transport minister Danilo Toninelli said: “Today’s accident in the port of Venice proves that cruise ships shouldn’t be allowed to pass down the Giudecca any more.

“After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism.”

Four older female tourists were injured as they tried to run away when the cruise ship rammed the tourist boat.

The collision happened at about 8.30am on Sunday on the Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to St Mark’s Square.

Venice is a tremendously popular site for both tourists and cruise ships, especially during the summer tourist season.

The cruise ship’s owner, MSC Cruises, said the ship was about to dock at a passenger terminal in Venice when it had a mechanical problem.

Two towboats guiding the cruise ship into Venice tried to stop the liner, but they were unable to prevent it from ramming into the river boat.

“The two towboats tried to stop the giant and then a tow cable broke, cut by the collision with the river boat,” Davide Calderan, president of a towboat association in Venice, told the Italian news agency Ansa.

Mr Calderan said the cruise ship’s engine was locked when the captain called for help. </s> VENICE, Italy – A towering, out-of-control cruise ship rammed into a dock and a tourist river boat on a busy Venice canal on Sunday morning. Italian media reported that at least five people were injured in the crash.

The collision happened about 8:30 a.m. on the Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to Saint Mark’s Square in the northeastern Italian city.

Videos of the crash show the cruise ship, apparently unable to halt its momentum, blaring its horn as it plows into the much smaller river boat and the dock as dozens of people run away in panic.

Venice is a tremendously popular site for both tourists and cruise ships, especially during the summer tourist season.

The cruise ship’s owner, MSC Cruises, said the ship, the MSC Opera, was about to dock at a passenger terminal in Venice when it had a mechanical problem. Two towboats guiding the cruise ship into Venice tried to stop the massive cruise ship, but they were unable to prevent it from ramming into the river boat.

“The two towboats tried to stop the giant and then a tow cable broke, cut by the collision with the river boat,” Davide Calderan, president of a towboat association in Venice, told the Italian news agency ANSA.

Calderan said the cruise ship’s engine was locked when the captain called for help.

Following the accident, calls for banning cruise ships in Venice, long a source of contention in the over-extended tourist city, were renewed.

The MSC Opera was built in 2004. It can carry over 2,675 passengers in 1,071 cabins. According to its sailing schedule, the cruise ship left Venice on May 26 and traveled to Kotor, Montenegro, and Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu in Greece before returning Sunday to Venice. </s> VENICE, Italy — A towering, out-of-control cruise ship rammed into a dock and a tourist riverboat on a busy Venice canal on Sunday morning, injuring five people, officials said. The collision sparked new calls for placing restrictions on cruise ships in the famed city.

VENICE, Italy — A towering, out-of-control cruise ship rammed into a dock and a tourist riverboat on a busy Venice canal on Sunday morning, injuring five people, officials said. The collision sparked new calls for placing restrictions on cruise ships in the famed city.

The crash happened about 8:30 a.m. on the Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to St. Mark’s Square in the northeastern Italian city.

The MSC Opera cruise ship, apparently unable to stop, blared its horn as it slammed into the much smaller River Countess boat and the dock as dozens of people run away in panic. In videos of the crash, people were seen rushing to disembark from the moored riverboat over a short gangplank, and at least two people were left caught on the walkway as the vessel was dislodged from the pier.

Elisabetta Pasqualin was watering plants on her terrace when she heard warning sirens and stepped out to see the crash.

“There was this huge ship in a diagonal position in the Giudecca Canal, with a tugboat near which seemed like it couldn’t do anything,” she said.

She described the ship “advancing slowly but inevitably towards the dock.” She said “the bow of the ship crashed hard into the bank with its massive weight crushing a big piece of it. Sirens were wailing loudly; it was a very dramatic scene.”

When the cruise ship rammed the riverboat, she said the smaller vessel looked like it was “made of plastic or paper” rather than steel.

Local officials said five women aboard the riverboat were injured. They said one was released immediately from a hospital, while four others were advised to remain under medical care for a few days.

Earlier, medical authorities said four of the women — an American, a New Zealander and two Australians between the ages of 67 and 72 — were injured falling or trying to run away when the cruise ship rammed into the River Countess.

Venice is a tremendously popular site for both tourists and cruise ships, especially during the summer tourist season.

The cruise ship’s owner, MSC Cruises, said the vessel was about to dock at a passenger terminal in Venice when it had a mechanical problem. Two tugboats guiding the cruise ship into Venice tried to stop the MSC Opera, but they were unable to prevent it from ramming into the riverboat.

“The two tugboats tried to stop the giant and then a tow cable broke, cut by the collision with the riverboat,” Davide Calderan, president of a tugboat association in Venice, told the Italian news agency ANSA.

Calderan said the cruise ship’s engine was locked when the captain called for help.

Italian media posted an audio clip of the MSC Opera’s pilot telling emergency officials that the ship experienced a loss of controls and “activated all the procedures to avoid what in the end happened, which was an impact.”

On an audio clip, the pilot said anchors were dropped and that tugboats connected to the ship’s bow and stern took maneuvers to stop the ship. “Here on the bridge, we don’t understand what happened,” the pilot is heard saying. An investigation was launched.

The collision froze boat traffic in the busy canal, and forced another MSC cruise ship to drop anchors in front of the historic city as it waited for the damaged vessels to be removed. Coincidentally, this famous maritime city on Sunday was celebrating an ancient tradition called the “Marriage of the Sea,” which features processions of boats. But the crash forced parts of the celebration to be canceled, Italian media reported.

Following the collision, calls for banning cruise ships in Venice, long a source of contention in the over-extended tourist city, were renewed.

For many, the crash served as a wake-up call. Opponents say cruise ships are out-of-scale for Venice, cause pollution, endanger the lagoon’s ecosystem and a danger.

“Obviously, we’ve seen today that our worst fears have come true,” said Jane Da Mosto, an environmental scientist and executive director of We Are Here Venice. Her group backs efforts to ban cruise ships from Venice.

“There were 111 people on the river cruise boat that the big ship crashed into. They could have all died,” she said. She said the cruise ship could have plowed through the concrete embankment and “hit houses, monuments and crowds of people.”

“The port authority, the government ministers, the other institutions have often tried to ridicule the resistance movement against the cruise ships, saying that an accident like this could never occur,” she added. “The government shouldn’t be so weak in giving in to the pressure of the lobby groups, like the cruise ship companies.”

The collision came four days after a river cruise ship collided with a sightseeing boat carrying South Korean tourists in Hungary’s capital, killing seven and leaving 21 others missing.

Not everyone in Venice is opposed to the cruise ships. Pasqualin, the woman who witnessed the collision, counted herself among those prior to Sunday’s crash.

“I’ve always been positive about the ships, but I have to admit I’ve started to change my mind now, because this was a tragic, terrible and dramatic scene,” she said.

Italian officials said the collision underscored the need to ban cruise ships from using the busy Giudecca Canal, but they stopped short of calling for a ban on cruise ships.

“Today’s accident in the port of Venice proves that cruise ships shouldn’t be allowed to pass down the Giudecca anymore,” said Danilo Toninelli, Italy’s transport minister. “After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism.”

The MSC Opera was built in 2004. It can carry over 2,675 passengers in 1,071 cabins. According to its sailing schedule, it left Venice on May 26 and traveled to Kotor, Montenegro, and Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu in Greece before returning Sunday to Venice. </s> The cruise ship's owner, MSC Cruises, said the vessel was about to dock at a passenger terminal in Venice when it had a mechanical problem. Two tugboats guiding the cruise ship into Venice tried to stop the MSC Opera, but they were unable to prevent it from ramming into the riverboat.

"The two tugboats tried to stop the giant and then a tow cable broke, cut by the collision with the riverboat," Davide Calderan, president of a tugboat association in Venice, told the Italian news agency ANSA.

Calderan said the cruise ship's engine was locked when the captain called for help.

Italian media posted an audio clip of the MSC Opera's pilot telling emergency officials that the ship experienced a loss of controls and "activated all the procedures to avoid what in the end happened, which was an impact."

On an audio clip, the pilot said anchors were dropped and that tugboats connected to the ship's bow and stern took manoeuvrs to stop the ship. "Here on the bridge, we don't understand what happened," the pilot is heard saying. An investigation was launched.

The collision froze boat traffic in the busy canal, and forced another MSC cruise ship to drop anchors in front of the historic city as it waited for the damaged vessels to be removed. Coincidentally, this famous maritime city on Sunday was celebrating an ancient tradition called the "Marriage of the Sea," which features processions of boats. But the crash forced parts of the celebration to be cancelled, Italian media reported.

Following the collision, calls for banning cruise ships in Venice, long a source of contention in the over-extended tourist city, were renewed.

For many, the crash served as a wake-up call. Opponents say cruise ships are out-of-scale for Venice, cause pollution, endanger the lagoon's ecosystem and a danger.

"Obviously, we've seen today that our worst fears have come true," said Jane Da Mosto, an environmental scientist and executive director of We Are Here Venice. Her group backs efforts to ban cruise ships from Venice.

"There were 111 people on the river cruise boat that the big ship crashed into. They could have all died," she said. She said the cruise ship could have plowed through the concrete embankment and "hit houses, monuments and crowds of people."

"The port authority, the government ministers, the other institutions have often tried to ridicule the resistance movement against the cruise ships, saying that an accident like this could never occur," she added. "The government shouldn't be so weak in giving in to the pressure of the lobby groups, like the cruise ship companies."

The collision came four days after a river cruise ship collided with a sightseeing boat carrying South Korean tourists in Hungary's capital, killing seven and leaving 21 others missing.

Not everyone in Venice is opposed to the cruise ships. Pasqualin, the woman who witnessed the collision, counted herself among those prior to Sunday's crash.

"I've always been positive about the ships, but I have to admit I've started to change my mind now, because this was a tragic, terrible and dramatic scene," she said.

Italian officials said the collision underscored the need to ban cruise ships from using the busy Giudecca Canal, but they stopped short of calling for a ban on cruise ships.

"Today's accident in the port of Venice proves that cruise ships shouldn't be allowed to pass down the Giudecca anymore," said Danilo Toninelli, Italy's transport minister. "After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism."

The MSC Opera was built in 2004. It can carry over 2,675 passengers in 1,071 cabins. According to its sailing schedule, it left Venice on May 26 and travelled to Kotor, Montenegro, and Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu in Greece before returning Sunday to Venice.

By Cain Burdeau And Luca Bruno, The Associated Press </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The MSC Opera, its horns blaring, crashes into a boat moored at a wharf in San Basilio-Zattere.

A cruise ship crash in Venice has reignited calls for large vessels to be banned from the city's Giudecca canal.

Four people were injured on Sunday when the MSC Opera - a 275m long (900ft) ship - collided with a dock and a small tourist boat after losing control.

Critics say such ships pose a conservation risk to the lagoon city, pollute its waters and mar its beauty.

Ministers said the crash proved the need for a ban on liners, and that they were working to resolve the problem.

"What happened in the port of Venice is confirmation of what we have been saying for some time," Environment Minister Sergio Costa wrote on Twitter (in Italian).

"Cruise ships must not sail down the Giudecca. We have been working on moving them for months now... and are nearing a solution."

Infrastructure Minister Danilo Toninelli agreed, writing on Twitter (in Italian) that the incident was proof that big ships should not travel on the Giudecca.

"After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a definitive solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism," he said.

The Giudecca, which leads to the popular St Mark's Square, is one of Venice's major waterways.

Critics say waves created by cruise ships on the canal erode the foundations of the city, which regularly suffers from flooding.

Some have also complained that they detract from the beauty of Venice's historic sites and bring too many tourists.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Venetians are trying to find solutions to stop the exodus from their city

Venice's port authority called for action to resolve the issue of high cruise ship traffic.

"Now is the time to handle the situation... to work to understand what happened and to find solution, once and for all," Pino Musolino, president of the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority wrote on Twitter (in Italian).

The government has previously tried to resolve the cruise ship debate. In 2013, it banned ships weighing more than 96,000 tonnes from the Giudecca canal but the legislation was later overturned.

In 2017, the government announced that it would divert larger ships away from the historic centre.

However, the plans were expected to take four years to come into force.

Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro on Sunday urged immediate action to open the alternative channel, known as the Vittorio Emanuele. </s> A cruise ship crashed into a tourist boat and then into a dock in Venice, Italy on Sunday after suffering an engine failure.

Video posted to social media showed passengers escaping from the tourist boat and running down the dock as the cruise ship rapidly approached.

The 13-deck MSC Opera rammed into the dock with its horns blaring, injuring five tourists, according to the AP. Two tugboats tried to guide the cruise ship, but were unable to prevent it from crashing.

“Earlier this morning, at around 8.30 AM CET, MSC Opera – while maneuvering towards Venice’s VTP cruise terminals for mooring – experienced a technical issue. Albeit the ship was accompanied by two tugs, she grazed the dock at San Basilio. This also caused a collision with a river boat that was moored there. “The investigations to understand the exact causes of the events are currently in progress. Regarding these, the company is working closely with the local maritime and other authorities. “The ship has in the meantime received authorization to move to be moored at the Marittima terminal, as planned. She is now moored there and has begun passenger operations.”

“When we saw the ship bearing down on us, everyone began shouting and running,” said a sailor who was on the tourist boat, according to AFP. “I didn’t know what to do. I got away quickly, jumping to get on shore.”

“The MSC ship had an engine failure, which was immediately reported by the captain,” said Davide Calderan, the head of one of the tugboats accompanying the cruise ship, according to AFP and Italian media.

“The engine was blocked, but with its thrust on, because the speed was increasing,” he continued.

The MSC Opera can carry more than 2,675 passengers, and according to its sailing schedule, the ship left Venice on May 26 and traveled to Kotor, Montenegro, and Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu in Greece before returning on Sunday to Venice.

Sunday’s collision adds to growing criticism of cruise ships in Venice, where the large vessels crowd waterways, block views and create waves that risk damage to the city’s buildings and infrastructure.

“What happened in the port of Venice is confirmation of what we have been saying for some time,” Italy’s environment minister Sergio Costa wrote on Twitter. “Cruise ships must not sail down the Giudecca. We have been working on moving them for months now… and are nearing a solution.”

Nicola Fratoianni, an MP with the Italian Left party, tweeted that Italy’s allowance of massive cruise ships contrasted with its efforts to stop rescue boats carrying migrants.

“It is truly curious that a country that tries to stop ships that have saved people at sea from entering its ports allows giant steel monsters to risk carnage in Venice,” he said.
Cruise ship MSC Opera collides with a riverboat and the quayside at Venice, Italy: four people are injured, none seriously. The incident leads to renewed demands to ban large cruise ships from the Lagoon of Venice.