A massive cruise ship has returned to Venice's canals despite protests from thousands of locals demanding they be banned following a crash with a small river boat which saw five people injured.
The MSC Magnifica, which can hold up to 3,605 passengers, was seen cruising down the Giudecca Canal in Venice today, exactly one week after the MSC Opera crashed into a small tourist boat and injured five people in the same place.
Thousands of locals took to the streets yesterday brandishing posters that read 'Ships out of the lagoon'.
A massive cruise ship has returned to Venice's canals despite protests from thousands of locals demanding they be banned following a crash with a small river boat which saw five people injured
The MSC Magnifica, which can hold up to 3,605 passengers, was seen cruising down the Giudecca Canal in Venice today, exactly one week after the MSC Opera crashed into a small tourist boat and injured five people in the same place
Thousands of locals took to the streets and canals yesterday to protest against cruise ships being allowed to travel through Venice's canals
Environmentalists have complained huge cruise liners wear down the city's fragile foundations in the Adriatic Sea and dredge up the lagoon's muddy bottom.
Venice's mayor wants cruise ships rerouted from the heart of the lagoon. The ships disembark thousands of day-trippers.
Last weeks crash saw four female tourists - an American, a New Zealander and two Australians between the ages of 67 and 72 - injured falling or trying to run away when the cruise ship rammed into the tourist boat.
MSC Cruises said the 2,679-passengers onboard the 177-ft high and 902-ft long long liner, which dwarfed the Venice skyline, were approaching the terminal when the ship hit the dock after a technical problem.
Four female tourists, an American, a New Zealander and two Australians, were among those injured in the horror crash on Sunday
The passengers are seen toppling from the the river boat during the crash after it collided with the enormous cruise ship
The collision came days after seven people were killed and 21 remain missing after the Mermaid, a sightseeing boat, capsized on the River Danube in Budapest, Hungary.
The cruise ship's owner, MSC Cruises, said the ship, the MSC Opera, was about to dock at a passenger terminal when it had a mechanical problem.
The ship then appeared to lose control after a steel cable that tied it to a tugboat snapped.
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 small and powerless river boat.
Venice environmentalists have long complained that cruise ships displace water, wear down fragile foundations, cause air pollution and damage the delicate lagoon environment by dredging up the muddy bottom
Venice's mayor wants cruise ships rerouted from the heart of the lagoon. The ships disembark thousands of day-trippers
