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A tourist has sparked outrage after she was filmed apparently scattering a loved one's ashes into the waters of Venice's St Mark's Basin.
Video footage shared on social media shows the woman travelling along the water before shaking the contents of a bag, believed to be human ashes, into the canal as the boat passed the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.
The incident, which was captured by fellow passengers on a vaporetto, the city's public waterbus, spread rapidly across social media and has prompted an investigation by local authorities.
According to reports, the woman opened a bag before emptying its contents over the side of the boat.
Onlookers believed the contents were the ashes of a deceased person. In the footage, a Venetian passenger can be heard asking angrily: 'Are you finished?' before the recording cuts out.
Authorities have not officially confirmed that the substance scattered into the water was human ashes.
The incident sparked fury among Venice residents, with many criticising not only the choice of location but also the apparent disregard for strict local rules governing the scattering of ashes.
Under laws in the Veneto region, ashes can only be scattered in approved locations, including designated 'Gardens of Remembrance' in the cemeteries of San Michele, Mestre and Marghera, or on private land outside urban areas with the owner's permission.
A tourist has sparked outrage after she was filmed apparently scattering a loved one's ashes into the waters of Venice's St Mark's Basin
Video footage shared on social media shows the woman travelling along the water before shaking the contents of a bag, believed to be human ashes, into the canal as the boat passed the island of San Giorgio Maggiore
The incident, which was captured by fellow passengers on a vaporetto, the city's public waterbus, spread rapidly across social media and has prompted an investigation by local authorities
In natural settings, scattering is only allowed in limited areas, including parts of the Adriatic Sea at least 700 metres from the coast and a designated section of the northern lagoon behind San Michele cemetery.
The ceremony must be authorised in advance based on the documented wishes of the deceased and later reported to the relevant authorities.
St Mark's Basin is not among the locations where ashes may be legally scattered.
If it is confirmed that the tourist dispersed human remains into the water, she could face a substantial fine.
Authorities have launched an investigation, while social media users continue to speculate about the identity of the woman.
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