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Three members of law enforcement were killed and more than a dozen others were hurt in a seemingly deliberate blast caused by gas at a farmhouse in the northern part of Italy.

Event Timeline

The blast took place as officers and emergency crews approached the house close to Verona to carry out an court-ordered eviction for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

Each of the three officers killed served in the Carabinieri force.

Legal Proceedings

One male and one female were taken into custody at the site and one more individual who escaped after the incident was located shortly later. All three have been transported to the hospital.

The blast could be heard as far as 3 miles distant and photographs from the scene displayed the building reduced to a heap of debris.

“We are in a period of mourning,” stated Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who noted that efforts had been made to evict the three siblings in the past.

Property Situation

The leader of the Veneto area, President Zaia, stated the farmhouse was facing an court order due to unpaid amounts accumulated by the property owners.

Negotiators had been assigned to speak to the brothers and sister who had locked themselves into the house. When the police reached the location shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities think one of the residents caused the blast.

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

A propane tank had been set off, and the blast precisely impacted our members,” he said.

Petrol bombs were also found at the property, the interior minister confirmed.

Impact Assessment

Those injured by the explosion consisted of 11 other members of the military police as well as three members of national police and a emergency responder.

Based on information from the prosecuting attorney, the building was in a dilapidated shape and had was without power.

He was convinced the blast had occurred on a level above the doorway and informed the press it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Just prior to the incident, he said members had “heard a whistle, probably the gas canisters being opened”.

Community Reaction

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” neighbors told Italian media, noting that the trio had earlier warned to “detonate the property” rather than vacate the property.

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

Minister of Defence Minister Crosetto united with other government officials in paying tribute to the trio of personnel who had lost their lives in the service of their country.