A FRENCH tourist has sparked fury after allegedly scattering her loved one’s ashes into waters of Venice’s St Mark’s Basin.
Shocking footage shows the unnamed woman empty a bag, which appears to contain human ashes, off the side of a boat as it passes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.
A fellow passenger captured the incident, which happened aboard a public city waterbus, and it has since gone viral and prompted an investigation.
Other travellers can be heard shouting as the woman empties the bag into the war.
Under Venetian laws, ashes can only be scattered in designated locations, such as the Gardens of Remembrance in the cemeteries of San Michele, Mestre and Marghera.
Mourners are allowed to disperse ashes over 2000ft into the Adriatic Sea or a designated section of the northern lagoon behind San Michele cemetery.
But ceremonies must be authorised in advance and reported to the relevant authorities.
Scattering anywhere else in the Venetian Lagoon is strictly forbidden and carries heavy penalties.
One user commented on the video: “There is regulation and it must be respected.”
If the French tourist is found to have flouted these rules, she could face a substantial fine.
It comes after a British woman was filmed allegedly scattering her loved one’s ashes on the narrow streets of Oia in Santorini, Greece.
Footage circulating online shows the woman emptying a clear plastic bottle across the town’s picturesque streets.
A group of other tourists can be seen in tow as she continues sprinkling the ashes outside residents’ homes.
The group are filmed singing Bob Marley’s iconic song “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”.
One member can be heard saying: “Goodbye Dad”.
After the woman empties the final contents of the bottle, everyone bursts into applause.
It was reportedly the deceased’s last wish to have their ashes spread on the island.
But the clip almost immediately sparked fury amongst islanders.
One local official, who works for the Chamber of Commerce, blasted the incident as a “health bomb”.
They added: “You can’t just throw ash everywhere. It’s constantly windy on our island, so all this went everywhere, on passersby, shops and houses. Some limits must finally be set.”
In 2024, a family sparked a health crisis after spreading ashes at a Turkish island holiday resort.
Footage shows a big group of people standing knee-deep in water, on the Uzunyali beach, in an emotional tribute.
The Brits had travelled to the popular beach to scatter the ashes of a family member who died at sea, according to his last wishes.
The sunny hotspot was the deceased’s favourite holiday spot.
Beachgoers reported that spreading the ashes of a deceased person into the water could be dangerous and contacted the authorities.
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