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A trio of officers lost their lives and more than a dozen people sustained injuries in a seemingly intentional gas explosion at a country home in the northern part of Italy.

Event Timeline

The detonation was triggered as law enforcement and fire personnel entered the property in the vicinity of the city of Verona to carry out an court-ordered eviction for a brother and sister trio in their late 50s and mid-60s.

Each of the three victims who died were members of the Italian military police.

Investigation Developments

A man and a woman were arrested at the location and another man who ran away following the incident was apprehended not long after. Each of them have been taken to hospital.

The detonation could be audible approximately 5 kilometers away and photographs from the area displayed the property reduced to a pile of rubble.

“We are in a period of mourning,” said Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who mentioned that attempts had been made to displace the brother and sister trio in the earlier times.

Property Situation

The president of the Veneto area, the regional head, stated the property was under an eviction order due to debts accumulated by the property owners.

Mediators had been assigned to talk with the brothers and sister who had barricaded themselves into the house. When the Carabinieri reached the location just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators believe one of the residents set off the detonation.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” provincial police commander Commander Papagno told the media.

A propane tank had been activated, and the explosion precisely impacted our members,” he added.

Molotov cocktails were also discovered at the residence, the interior minister said.

Injuries and Destruction

Those injured by the explosion included 11 other members of the military police as well as three members of Italy's state police and a fire services member.

As stated by the local prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a poor condition and had no electricity.

The prosecutor thought the explosion had taken place on a story above the doorway and stated to reporters it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Shortly before the incident, he said members had “detected a whistling noise, presumably the gas canisters being opened”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” neighbors stated to Italian media, noting that the three had in the past stated to “detonate the property” rather than leave the house.

“The blast resulted in a ‘horrific, deeply distressing and tragic cost’.”

The Defense Minister the Defence Minister joined other elected representatives in paying tribute to the three officers who had been killed in the service of their country.