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Three police officers were killed and more than a dozen additional individuals sustained injuries in a seemingly deliberate blast caused by gas at a country home in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The detonation took place as law enforcement and fire personnel entered the residence in the vicinity of the city of Verona to execute an removal notice for two brothers and a sister who were older adults.

Each of the three victims who died were members of the Carabinieri force.

Investigation Developments

A man and a woman were taken into custody at the scene and a third person who fled after the explosion was located shortly later. The trio have been admitted to medical facility.

The explosion could be heard some 5km (3 miles) away and images from the location displayed the building left as a mass of wreckage.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” said Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who added that efforts had been made to evict the three siblings in the earlier times.

Property Situation

The head of the Veneto region, the regional head, said the farmhouse was subject to an eviction order due to debts accrued by the three owners.

Mediators had been sent to engage the family members who had locked themselves into the home. When the police arrived shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials suspect one of the siblings caused the blast.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” regional commander Commander Papagno informed the media.

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

Petrol bombs were also discovered at the residence, the Interior Minister said.

Injuries and Destruction

The wounded by the incident comprised 11 other members 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 building was in a poor condition and had was without power.

The official was convinced the explosion had happened on a floor above the access point and stated to journalists it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Shortly before the explosion, he said officers had “noticed a hissing sound, presumably the gas canisters being opened”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” local residents told local news, noting that the family members had in the past stated to “detonate the property” rather than vacate the property.

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

The Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stood alongside other government officials in honoring the trio of personnel who had been killed in the performance of their duties.