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A trio of officers were killed and no fewer than 15 people were hurt in a seemingly intentional gas explosion at a rural property in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The blast took place as law enforcement and fire personnel entered the property near the Verona region to enforce an eviction order for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

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

Arrests and Aftermath

A man and a woman were taken into custody at the location and another man who escaped following the explosion was located soon after. All three have been taken to hospital.

The explosion could be noticed as far as 3 miles distant and footage from the scene showed the building left as a mass of wreckage.

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

Financial Context

The president of the Veneto area, President Zaia, explained the farmhouse was subject to an court order due to unpaid amounts accrued by the three owners.

Negotiators had been dispatched to speak to the siblings who had locked themselves into the home. When the police reached the location just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities think one of the siblings set off the blast.

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

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

Molotov cocktails were also located at the property, the interior minister stated.

Casualties and Damage

Those injured by the explosion included an additional 11 personnel of the Carabinieri as well as a trio of personnel of national police and a fire services member.

As stated by the Verona prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a derelict state and had was without power.

The official was convinced the explosion had happened on a level above the access point and informed the press it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Moments before the incident, he mentioned personnel had “heard a whistle, probably the propane tanks being activated”.

Community Reaction

“We all knew the situation was dire,” nearby inhabitants told local news, noting that the trio had earlier warned to “cause an explosion” rather than vacate the property.

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

The Defense Minister Minister Crosetto united with other elected representatives in commemorating the three men who had died in the line of duty.