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A trio of officers lost their lives and no fewer than 15 others sustained injuries in what appears to be intentional detonation from gas at a rural property in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The explosion was triggered as police and firefighters approached the property near the Verona region to enforce an court-ordered eviction for three siblings in their late 50s and mid-60s.

Each of the three victims who died were members of the Italian military police.

Legal Proceedings

Two individuals were taken into custody at the scene and another man who escaped following the explosion was found not long after. All three have been transported to medical facility.

The blast could be audible as far as 3 miles distant and photographs from the scene showed the structure left as a pile of rubble.

“We are in a period of mourning,” said the Minister of the Interior the Interior Minister, who noted that efforts had been made to evict the three siblings in the past.

Property Situation

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

Negotiators had been sent to engage the siblings who had locked themselves into the house. When the officers arrived soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators suspect one of the siblings caused the blast.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” local police chief Commander Papagno stated to news outlets.

A gas canister had been activated, and the explosion precisely impacted our officers,” he added.

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

Injuries and Destruction

The wounded by the explosion comprised an additional 11 personnel of the military police as well as three officers of the state police and a fire services member.

According to the local prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a poor condition and had no electricity.

He thought the detonation had occurred on a floor above the doorway and informed the press it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the blast, he mentioned officers had “noticed a hissing sound, likely the gas canisters being activated”.

Neighbor Statements

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” local residents told reporters, mentioning that the trio had earlier warned to “blow themselves up” rather than be evicted.

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

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto joined other government officials in honoring the three men who had lost their lives in the line of duty.