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Three members of law enforcement were killed and no fewer than 15 others got wounded in an apparently deliberate gas explosion at a rural property in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The detonation took place as police and firefighters approached the residence near Verona to carry out an court-ordered eviction for two brothers and a sister aged in their 50s and 60s.

Each of the three victims who died belonged to the Carabinieri military police.

Investigation Developments

One male and one female were arrested at the scene and one more individual who fled subsequent to the incident was apprehended soon after. The trio have been admitted to the hospital.

The detonation could be audible approximately 5 kilometers away and images from the scene revealed the structure reduced to a mass of wreckage.

“We are in a period of mourning,” stated Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who mentioned that previous tries had been made to displace the brother and sister trio in the previous occasions.

Background and Motive

The head of the Veneto area, the regional head, stated the farmhouse was subject to an eviction order due to unpaid amounts incurred by the three owners.

Negotiators had been dispatched to speak to the brothers and sister who had locked themselves into the property. When the Carabinieri came soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities believe one of the residents set off the detonation.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” local police chief Commander Papagno told reporters.

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

Incendiary devices were also found at the property, the interior minister said.

Impact Assessment

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

Based on information from the prosecuting attorney, the building was in a derelict state and had lacked electrical service.

He believed the detonation had occurred on a floor above the doorway and informed journalists it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Moments before the incident, he mentioned officers had “noticed a hissing sound, presumably the propane tanks being activated”.

Neighbor Statements

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” local residents told Italian media, noting that the three had in the past stated to “cause an explosion” rather than be evicted.

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

Minister of Defence Minister Crosetto joined other political leaders in honoring the three officers who had lost their lives in the line of duty.