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Three police officers were killed and at least 15 others were hurt in what appears to be intentional detonation from gas at a country home in the northern part of Italy.

Sequence of Events

The detonation occurred as officers and emergency crews entered the residence near the city of Verona to execute an eviction order for three siblings who were older adults.

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

Legal Proceedings

One male and one female got detained at the location and a third person who fled after the blast was found shortly later. Each of them have been taken to medical facility.

The explosion could be heard as far as 3 miles distant and images from the location displayed the structure reduced to a heap of debris.

“This is a time for grieving,” commented Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who added that efforts had been made to evict the three siblings in the previous occasions.

Property Situation

The president of the Veneto region, the regional head, explained the property was facing an eviction order due to unpaid amounts accumulated by the property owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been assigned to engage the family members who had barricaded themselves into the house. When the police came shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators believe a family member caused the blast.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” regional commander Commander Papagno told reporters.

A propane tank had been ignited, and the detonation directly hit our personnel,” he explained.

Petrol bombs were also found at the property, the Interior Minister said.

Casualties and Damage

Injured individuals by the blast comprised an additional 11 personnel of the police force as well as a trio of personnel of the state police and a emergency responder.

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

The prosecutor believed the detonation had happened on a floor above the doorway and informed journalists it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Just prior to the incident, he mentioned officers had “heard a whistle, presumably the gas cylinders being opened”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” local residents stated to local news, mentioning that the family members had earlier warned to “cause an explosion” rather than be evicted.

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

Minister of Defence Minister Crosetto stood alongside other elected representatives in commemorating the three men who had been killed in the performance of their duties.