Categories: World

Venice gondola filled with tourists capsizes after selfie-snapping passengers refuse to sit down

close Video

Italy’s Meloni shuts down opposition party talk of halting aid to Ukraine

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended the country’s aid to Ukraine, shutting down critics who claim the war could be stopped by allowing Russia to win. (Italian House of Deputies, Twitter/Visegrád.)

A gondola in Venice, Italy, capsized after tourists didn’t listen to warnings to sit down and stop taking selfies.

According to The Guardian, a group of tourists from China were taking selfies and moving around the gondola when orders were given to sit down.

The gondolier was attempting to navigate the small boat underneath a bridge , which required passengers to be balanced and not move around.

Passengers on the gondola reportedly ignored the warning and continued to take pictures and stand up, which resulted in the boat tipping over.

PHILIPPINES BUS CRASH KILLS 16, INJURES 12 AFTER PLUNGING OFF RAVINE

Gondolas are fixed in front of the Rialto Bridge (Italian: Ponte di Rialto) in the lagoon city of Venice. (Stefanie Rex/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The group of tourists were rescued from the water and taken to the nearby La Fenice theater, where they were provided with “hospitality and warmth,” according to the report.

Tourists on the flipped gondola could be heard yelling “Oh my God,” a video of the incident posted to TikTok on Sunday shows.

According to the New York Post, gondola tours reduced their capacity in 2020, with Venice’s gondoliers association president Andrea Balbi citing overweight tourists.

EUROPE FACING ‘HUGE RISK OF TERROR ATTACKS’ DURING CHRISTMAS SEASON, EU WARNS

Boats travel along a canal on September 30, 2023 in Venice, Italy. Venice is among Europe’s top tourist destinations. However, recently UNESCO recommended that Venice should be put on its endangered list, claiming that too many tourists and other concerns was having a detrimental effect on the historic city.  (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

“It’s true that compared to 10 or 15 years ago, tourists weigh a bit more,” Balbi said. “Unlike in a lift, where there’s a message that says ‘only six people or a maximum weight’, we don’t have scales to weigh people, and so we reduced the number of passengers.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The tourists likely plunged into cold water, as the average temperature in Venice in December is 46 degrees.

No individuals were injured in the incident.

Adam Sabes is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Adam.Sabes@fox.com and on Twitter @asabes10.

Share

Recent Posts

Israel faces new Syria challenge as it adjusts to new strategy amid regional power struggle for influence

close Video IDF Chief Eyal Zamir assesses situation in area of separation in Syria For…

12 minutes ago

‘Bourbon Street Hustler,’ arrested after Kansas City reporter death, needs resentencing for fraud history: AG

close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for March 14 Fox News Flash top headlines…

22 minutes ago

Senate to take up Trump spending bill as clock ticks down to government shutdown

The Senate will take a key procedural vote on Friday afternoon to potentially tee up…

32 minutes ago

50 House Dems railed for ‘political puppet show’ after making identical social media posts

At least 50 House Democrats are being criticized as "actors reading a script" after posting…

32 minutes ago

Anna Paulina Luna escalates DOJ standoff over Epstein docs, unveils SHRED Act

FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wants federal agents caught destroying or concealing…

32 minutes ago

FLASHBACK: Biden also paraded electric vehicles at the White House when he drove a Jeep Wrangler in 2021

Democrats pounced on President Donald Trump’s purchase of a red Tesla on Tuesday — even…

32 minutes ago