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Three police officers lost their lives and at least 15 people got wounded in what appears to be premeditated detonation from gas at a country home in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The explosion was triggered as law enforcement and fire personnel went into the house near the Verona region to carry out an eviction order for a brother and sister trio who were older adults.

The three officers killed belonged to the Carabinieri force.

Arrests and Aftermath

One male and one female were arrested at the site and another man who ran away after the explosion was apprehended shortly later. Each of them have been transported to the hospital.

The blast could be audible as far as 3 miles distant and photographs from the area displayed the structure left as a heap of debris.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” said Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who added that previous tries had been made to remove the brother and sister trio in the previous occasions.

Financial Context

The leader of the Veneto region, the regional head, stated the farmhouse was under an eviction order due to unpaid amounts accumulated by the three owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been dispatched to engage the siblings who had locked themselves into the home. When the officers came just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators believe a family member caused the blast.

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

A gas canister had been set off, and the explosion precisely impacted our officers,” he said.

Petrol bombs were also discovered at the site, the minister said.

Injuries and Destruction

The wounded by the blast consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the Carabinieri as well as three officers of Italy's state police and a firefighter.

As stated by the local prosecutor, the building was in a derelict state and had lacked electrical service.

He was convinced the explosion had occurred on a floor above the entrance and told reporters it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Moments before the incident, he said members had “detected a whistling noise, likely the propane tanks being opened”.

Community Reaction

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” neighbors told reporters, mentioning that the family members had in the past stated to “detonate the property” rather than be evicted.

“The blast resulted in a ‘horrific, deeply distressing and tragic cost’.”

Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto stood alongside other government officials in commemorating the three men who had died in the line of duty.