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Three police officers lost their lives and at least 15 people got wounded in an apparently deliberate gas explosion at a rural property in the northern part of Italy.

Sequence of Events

The explosion was triggered as officers and emergency crews went into the property near Verona to carry out an court-ordered eviction for a brother and sister trio aged in their 50s and 60s.

All three victims who died served in the Carabinieri force.

Arrests and Aftermath

A man and a woman were arrested at the scene and a third person who escaped after the blast was located not long after. The trio have been admitted to medical facility.

The detonation could be heard some 5km (3 miles) away and images from the location revealed the structure reduced to a pile of rubble.

“This is a time for grieving,” commented the Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who added that attempts had been made to remove the brother and sister trio in the previous occasions.

Financial Context

The president of the Veneto area, Luca Zaia, explained the farmhouse was facing an eviction order due to financial obligations incurred by the siblings.

Conflict resolution experts had been assigned to talk with the family members who had locked themselves into the home. When the police reached the location just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials think one of the siblings set off the detonation.

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

“A gas cylinder had been set off, and the blast immediately struck our officers,” he said.

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

Impact Assessment

Those injured by the explosion comprised an additional 11 personnel of the police force as well as three members of national police and a fire services member.

Based on information from the local prosecutor, the property was in a poor condition and had no electricity.

The prosecutor thought the blast had occurred on a level above the doorway and told the press it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Shortly before the incident, he mentioned members had “detected a whistling noise, probably the propane tanks being activated”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” neighbors told local news, mentioning that the three had in the past stated to “cause an explosion” rather than vacate the property.

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

Defence Minister Minister Crosetto united with other elected representatives in commemorating the trio of personnel who had died in the line of duty.