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

Event Timeline

The blast occurred as officers and emergency crews went into the residence near the city of Verona to enforce an eviction order for three siblings in their late 50s and mid-60s.

All three deceased individuals were members of the Carabinieri force.

Legal Proceedings

A man and a woman were taken into custody at the site and one more individual who escaped after the incident was located shortly later. Each of them have been taken to hospital.

The detonation could be noticed some 5km (3 miles) away and images from the location displayed the property reduced to a mass of wreckage.

“We are in a period of mourning,” commented the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, who mentioned that attempts had been made to remove the three siblings in the previous occasions.

Property Situation

The leader of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, explained the property was facing an eviction order due to debts accrued by the siblings.

Negotiators had been assigned to speak to the family members who had locked themselves into the property. When the Carabinieri arrived soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials think one of the residents caused the detonation.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” regional commander Claudio Papagno stated to news outlets.

A gas canister had been ignited, and the detonation directly hit our officers,” he added.

Petrol bombs were also discovered at the property, the Interior Minister confirmed.

Impact Assessment

Those injured by the incident consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the Carabinieri as well as three members of Italy's state police and a emergency responder.

Based on information from the local prosecutor, the property was in a poor condition and had was without power.

He was convinced the blast had happened on a floor above the entrance and informed journalists it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the explosion, he revealed personnel had “detected a whistling noise, probably the propane tanks being turned on”.

Community Reaction

“We all knew the situation was dire,” nearby inhabitants informed Italian media, noting that the trio had in the past stated to “blow themselves up” rather than leave the house.

“The explosion had left a ‘terrible, very painful and dramatic toll’.”

The Defense Minister Minister Crosetto united with other political leaders in paying tribute to the trio of personnel who had died in the service of their country.