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A trio of officers were killed and more than a dozen others sustained injuries in an apparently premeditated detonation from gas at a farmhouse in northern Italy.

How It Happened

The blast was triggered as police and firefighters went into the house in the vicinity of the Verona region to carry out an removal notice for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

All three officers killed served in the Carabinieri force.

Arrests and Aftermath

Two individuals were taken into custody at the location and a third person who escaped after the explosion was located shortly later. All three have been admitted to hospital.

The detonation could be noticed some 5km (3 miles) away and images from the area showed the building reduced to a heap of debris.

“This is a time for grieving,” said Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who mentioned that previous tries had been made to evict the three family members in the past.

Property Situation

The president of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, said the residence was under an court order due to unpaid amounts incurred by the property owners.

Mediators had been assigned to speak to the family members who had barricaded themselves into the property. When the police came soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators suspect one of the siblings caused the blast.

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

A propane tank had been activated, and the blast directly hit our officers,” he explained.

Incendiary devices were also found at the site, the Interior Minister stated.

Casualties and Damage

The wounded by the explosion comprised eleven more officers of the police force as well as three members of the state police and a fire services member.

According to the local prosecutor, the property was in a poor condition and had lacked electrical service.

He was convinced the blast had taken place on a floor above the entrance and told reporters it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the incident, he revealed members had “heard a whistle, probably the gas canisters being turned on”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” local residents told reporters, adding that the family members had previously threatened to “detonate the property” rather than be evicted.

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

Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto united with other political leaders in honoring the three men who had lost their lives in the service of their country.