A family holiday in Venice ended in tragedy on Saturday after a 50-year-old German tourist was crushed to death during a gondola ride on the famous Grand Canal.

The man’s three-year-old daughter suffered facial and head injuries in the accident that is thought to have occurred after the gondola collided with a larger boat ferrying passengers.

It appears that the man’s wife and two other children were unhurt.

Media reports said the force of the accident split the gondola in half.

Police are investigating the tragedy.

This is not the first accident involving a gondola and Venice Mayor Giorgio Orsoni said he would convene a panel of experts to resolve the worsening congestion on the city’s waterways, which is particularly bad at this time of year when tourists descend on the city for the summer holidays.

GlobalPost