Newlywed bride, 26, missing and groom, 25, in coma after their boat smashes into huge water taxi in Venice

A NEWLYWED bride has been missing for over 96 hours in a Venice canal after a horror crash.

Gabriella Querino, 26, and her husband Sean Michieli, 25, were travelling in his small boat on Saturday morning when they smashed into a five-tonne water taxi and sank.

Sean, who works as a clam fisherman, was found in critical condition and taken to hospital, where he fell into a coma.

He was eventually declared braindead on Monday despite the efforts of medical staff.

His wife, a Brazilian national, is still missing and only her handbag has been recovered from the Venetian Lagoon.

Police, firefighters and divers are still searching for Gabriella, but powerful currents and poor visibility are hampering the operation.

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Gabriella and Sean met in Venice and got married just three months ago, according to local media.

She had moved to Italy around two years ago, and had been sorting out the necessary paperwork to also obtain a fishing licence like her husband.

Her mother, Gisele Elorriaga, told Brazilian media: “She was building a life for herself over there, and she was happy.”

Meanwhile, Gabriella’s sister Maria Eduarda, said she plans to travel to Italy to follow the search efforts.

She said: “We need help to bring visibility to this case and for the search for my sister to continue and be expanded.”

For the Michieli family, this is a second tragedy unfolding in the same waters where they have earned their living for generations, according to local media.

In 2007, Sean’s uncle Endrius, then 19, died in a crash between his small boat and a small fuel barge.

The incident happened near the Fondamente Nove, opposite the island of San Michele.

Authorities are still trying to piece together the sequence of events on Saturday, and the cause of the crash remains unclear.

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Tuesday 15 September

Genoa