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Three members of law enforcement lost their lives and no fewer than 15 others got wounded in an apparently deliberate blast caused by gas at a rural property in the northern part of Italy.

Event Timeline

The detonation occurred as law enforcement and fire personnel entered the house in the vicinity of the city of Verona to execute an removal notice for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

Each of the three officers killed served in the Carabinieri force.

Legal Proceedings

A man and a woman were taken into custody at the scene and another man who fled after the blast was located shortly later. The trio have been transported to medical facility.

The explosion could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and images from the area revealed the building turned into a heap of debris.

“We are in a period of mourning,” commented the Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who mentioned that previous tries had been made to remove the three family members in the past.

Property Situation

The leader of the region of Veneto, Luca Zaia, said the farmhouse was subject to an court order due to debts accumulated by the siblings.

Negotiators had been sent to talk with the siblings who had secured themselves into the house. When the officers arrived shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities think one of the siblings caused the explosion.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” local police chief Claudio Papagno stated to the media.

A propane tank had been ignited, and the explosion directly hit our members,” he said.

Petrol bombs were also discovered at the site, the Interior Minister stated.

Impact Assessment

Those injured by the blast comprised eleven more officers of the police force as well as a trio of personnel of the state police and a fire services member.

Based on information from the Verona prosecutor, the building was in a derelict state and had no electricity.

The prosecutor believed the blast had occurred on a level above the access point and stated to journalists it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the blast, he said officers had “noticed a hissing sound, likely the gas canisters being turned on”.

Neighbor Statements

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents stated to Italian media, adding that the family members had earlier warned to “blow themselves up” rather than be evicted.

“The incident exacted a ‘dreadful, extremely sad and dramatic price’.”

The Defense Minister Guido Crosetto united with other political leaders in commemorating the trio of personnel who had lost their lives in the service of their country.