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Three police officers were killed and more than a dozen people were hurt in an apparently intentional blast caused by gas at a rural property in the northern part of Italy.

How It Happened

The detonation was triggered as law enforcement and fire personnel went into the house close to the Verona region to execute an court-ordered eviction for a brother and sister trio who were older adults.

All three victims who died belonged to the Carabinieri force.

Legal Proceedings

A man and a woman got detained at the site and another man who escaped following the incident was located shortly later. The trio have been admitted to the hospital.

The explosion could be noticed some 5km (3 miles) away and photographs from the scene revealed the property left as a mass of wreckage.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” commented Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who noted that efforts had been made to displace the brother and sister trio in the earlier times.

Background and Motive

The president of the Veneto area, President Zaia, explained the residence was facing an eviction order due to debts accumulated by the property owners.

Mediators had been sent to speak to the family members who had barricaded themselves into the home. When the police came just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators believe one of the siblings caused the detonation.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” regional commander Claudio Papagno stated to news outlets.

A propane tank had been ignited, and the blast directly hit our members,” he said.

Petrol bombs were also discovered at the site, the interior minister confirmed.

Casualties and Damage

Injured individuals by the blast included 11 other members of the Carabinieri as well as three members of the state police and a firefighter.

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

The prosecutor believed the explosion had occurred on a floor above the entrance and told the press it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Just prior to the incident, he revealed officers had “heard a whistle, presumably the gas cylinders being opened”.

Local Response

“We all knew the situation was dire,” neighbors stated to Italian media, noting that the family members had earlier warned to “cause an explosion” rather than leave the house.

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

Minister of Defence the Defence Minister stood alongside other political leaders in honoring the three officers who had died in the line of duty.