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Three members of law enforcement lost their lives and more than a dozen people were hurt in an apparently premeditated gas explosion at a country home in northern Italy.

How It Happened

The blast was triggered as police and firefighters entered the house in the vicinity of the Verona region to enforce an removal notice for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

All three officers killed belonged to the Italian military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

A man and a woman got detained at the location and a third person who ran away following the explosion was located not long after. All three have been taken to medical facility.

The detonation could be noticed approximately 5 kilometers away and photographs from the area revealed the structure turned into a mass of wreckage.

“This is a time for grieving,” stated the Minister of the Interior the Interior Minister, who mentioned that attempts had been made to evict the three siblings in the previous occasions.

Financial Context

The leader of the Veneto region, President Zaia, said the property was facing an removal notice due to financial obligations accumulated by the three owners.

Mediators had been assigned to speak to the siblings who had barricaded themselves into the home. When the police came soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators suspect a family member set off the blast.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” local police chief the police commander informed the media.

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

Petrol bombs were also located at the residence, the minister stated.

Casualties and Damage

Injured individuals by the explosion comprised eleven more officers of the Carabinieri as well as a trio of personnel of Italy's state police and a emergency responder.

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

The official was convinced the explosion had occurred on a floor above the access point and informed reporters it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Shortly before the explosion, he said personnel had “noticed a hissing sound, probably the gas cylinders being opened”.

Neighbor Statements

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents informed local news, mentioning that the family members had in the past stated to “detonate the property” rather than be evicted.

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

Defence Minister Minister Crosetto joined other political leaders in honoring the three men who had died in the line of duty.