Romantic row turns to heartbreak in St Pete

On Thursday a lover's tiff on St Petersburg's canals ended in hospital for two lovers, when their boat crashed into a famous symbol of the Great October Socialist Revolution – the 'Aurora' cruiser.

Russian bloggers immediately referred to the accident as one of the most romantic in the recent years.

Early in the morning a St Petersburg couple was on a canal tour when the inexperienced helmsman lost control of the boat at full speed and crashed into the 'Aurora' – the personification of the dawn in Roman mythology.

However, the outcome turned out to be not so romantic. The man was taken to hospital and is now in coma, while his fellow traveller sustained several minor injuries. Later it was discovered the man had been drunk.

A special commission, which came to the site minutes later, stated the century-old cruiser wasn't seriously damaged.