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A trio of officers perished and at least 15 people got wounded in an apparently intentional blast caused by gas at a rural property in Italy's north.

Event Timeline

The blast took place as police and firefighters approached the property in the vicinity of Verona to enforce an court-ordered eviction for two brothers and a sister aged in their 50s and 60s.

All three victims who died belonged to the Carabinieri military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

One male and one female were taken into custody at the location and one more individual who escaped following the explosion was apprehended soon after. The trio have been taken to hospital.

The explosion could be heard some 5km (3 miles) away and photographs from the scene showed the property reduced to a mass of wreckage.

“This is a time for grieving,” commented the Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who added that efforts had been made to remove the three siblings in the past.

Property Situation

The president of the Veneto region, the regional head, said the property was subject to an removal notice due to financial obligations incurred by the siblings.

Negotiators had been dispatched to speak to the family members who had locked themselves into the house. When the police reached the location shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators believe one of the residents caused the explosion.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” provincial police commander Claudio Papagno told the media.

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

Incendiary devices were also located at the residence, the Interior Minister said.

Casualties and Damage

The wounded by the blast included 11 other members of the police force as well as three members of Italy's state police and a emergency responder.

As stated by the prosecuting attorney, the property was in a derelict state and had lacked electrical service.

The prosecutor believed the explosion had happened on a floor above the doorway and stated to reporters it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Shortly before the blast, he said officers had “heard a whistle, likely the propane tanks being turned on”.

Community Reaction

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” local residents stated to reporters, noting that the three had earlier warned to “blow themselves up” rather than leave the house.

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

Minister of Defence the Defence Minister united with other elected representatives in honoring the three men who had died in the performance of their duties.