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Three police officers perished and no fewer than 15 people sustained injuries in an apparently premeditated detonation from gas at a country home in the northern part of Italy.

Sequence of Events

The explosion took place as law enforcement and fire personnel entered the residence near the Verona region to execute an eviction order for a brother and sister trio who were older adults.

All three victims who died served in the Italian military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

A man and a woman were taken into custody at the site and one more individual who escaped after the blast was apprehended not long after. All three have been admitted to the hospital.

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

“This moment calls for sorrow,” stated Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who added that efforts had been made to remove the three siblings in the past.

Property Situation

The head of the Veneto area, President Zaia, explained the residence was subject to an removal notice due to unpaid amounts accumulated by the three owners.

Mediators had been assigned to talk with the brothers and sister who had locked themselves into the property. When the Carabinieri reached the location just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators suspect a family member caused the detonation.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” regional commander the police commander informed the media.

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

Molotov cocktails were also discovered at the site, the Interior Minister stated.

Injuries and Destruction

Injured individuals by the explosion comprised an additional 11 personnel of the Carabinieri as well as three officers of Italy's state police and a fire services member.

Based on information from the prosecuting attorney, the property was in a derelict state and had no electricity.

He believed the explosion had happened on a level above the access point and informed reporters it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Just prior to the explosion, he said members had “detected a whistling noise, likely the propane tanks being turned on”.

Community Reaction

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents stated to Italian media, mentioning that the three had previously threatened to “detonate the property” rather than be evicted.

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

Defence Minister the Defence Minister stood alongside other government officials in commemorating the three officers who had been killed in the line of duty.