Venice, Italy - The body of a 67-year-old Japanese tourist was recovered Wednesday from the water in Venice after what is believed to have been a drowning accident, news reports said.

The man, identified by the ANSA news agency as Ohta Tadayuki, apparently slipped and fell near the hotel where he was staying together with a group of other Japanese tourists.

Gondoliers alerted authorities after spotting Tadayuki's body floating in the basin near the lagoon city's central St Mark's Square, the report said. (dpa)