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Three police officers were killed and more than a dozen additional individuals got wounded in a seemingly intentional blast caused by gas at a country home in the northern part of Italy.

How It Happened

The blast was triggered as law enforcement and fire personnel entered the residence near the city of Verona to enforce an court-ordered eviction for two brothers and a sister who were older adults.

The three victims who died belonged to the Italian military police.

Legal Proceedings

One male and one female were arrested at the location and one more individual who ran away following the blast was apprehended soon after. Each of them have been taken to the hospital.

The explosion could be noticed approximately 5 kilometers away and images from the location displayed the property left as a pile of rubble.

“This is a time for grieving,” commented the Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who added that previous tries had been made to evict the three siblings in the previous occasions.

Property Situation

The leader of the Veneto region, the regional head, explained the farmhouse was under an removal notice due to financial obligations accrued by the three owners.

Mediators had been dispatched to talk with the brothers and sister who had barricaded themselves into the house. When the Carabinieri came shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials believe one of the residents set off the blast.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” regional commander the police commander stated to reporters.

A gas canister had been activated, and the detonation immediately struck our personnel,” he said.

Petrol bombs were also located at the site, the interior minister said.

Casualties and Damage

The wounded by the explosion comprised an additional 11 personnel of the Carabinieri as well as three officers of the state police and a emergency responder.

As stated by the prosecuting attorney, the property was in a dilapidated shape and had lacked electrical service.

The prosecutor was convinced the blast had occurred on a level above the entrance and told reporters it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Moments before the explosion, he said members had “detected a whistling noise, likely the gas cylinders being turned on”.

Neighbor Statements

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents informed Italian media, noting that the three had previously threatened to “cause an explosion” rather than leave the house.

“The explosion had left a ‘terrible, very painful and dramatic toll’.”

Minister of Defence Minister Crosetto stood alongside other government officials in commemorating the trio of personnel who had lost their lives in the service of their country.