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A trio of officers lost their lives and at least 15 others were hurt in an apparently deliberate detonation from gas at a rural property in Italy's north.

Event Timeline

The detonation was triggered as law enforcement and fire personnel entered the house near Verona to enforce an court-ordered eviction for three siblings who were older adults.

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

Investigation Developments

One male and one female were taken into custody at the site and a third person who fled after the explosion was located shortly later. The trio have been transported to hospital.

The explosion could be heard approximately 5 kilometers away and footage from the location showed the structure reduced to a heap of debris.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” commented the Minister of the Interior the Interior Minister, who added that efforts had been made to evict the three family members in the earlier times.

Financial Context

The head of the Veneto region, President Zaia, explained the farmhouse was under an removal notice due to unpaid amounts incurred by the three owners.

Mediators had been assigned to engage the siblings who had locked themselves into the house. When the police arrived just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators suspect one of the siblings caused the detonation.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” regional commander Claudio Papagno told news outlets.

“A gas cylinder had been activated, and the blast precisely impacted our members,” he said.

Molotov cocktails were also found at the residence, the Interior Minister said.

Casualties and Damage

Injured individuals by the incident consisted of 11 other members of the police force as well as three officers of national police and a fire services member.

As stated by the prosecuting attorney, the farmhouse was in a dilapidated shape and had no electricity.

The prosecutor believed the explosion had taken place on a level above the access point and informed journalists it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the incident, he said members had “noticed a hissing sound, presumably the gas cylinders being activated”.

Neighbor Statements

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents told reporters, mentioning that the family members had in the past stated to “cause an explosion” rather than vacate the property.

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

The Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stood alongside other elected representatives in honoring the three men who had lost their lives in the service of their country.