A cruise ship has collided with a dock and a tourist river boat on a busy canal in Venice, police in Italy say.

Italian media report that at least five people have been injured in the crash.

The collision happened about 8:30am on Sunday on the Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to Saint Mark’s Square in the north-eastern Italian city.

Video of the crash shows the cruise ship ploughing into the much smaller river boat and the dock as dozens of people run away in panic.

Venice is a tremendously popular site for both tourists and cruise ships, especially during the summer tourist season.

The incident prompted Italy’s transport minister to call for cruise ships to be banned from using the Giudecca Canal in Venice.

Danilo Toninelli said: “Today’s accident in the port of Venice proves that cruise ships shouldn’t be allowed to pass down the Giudecca any more.

“After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism.”