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Three members of law enforcement lost their lives and more than a dozen people got wounded in what appears to be intentional gas explosion at a country home in the northern part of Italy.

Event Timeline

The explosion was triggered as officers and emergency crews approached the house close to the city of Verona to execute an court-ordered eviction for three siblings who were older adults.

All three officers killed served in the Italian military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

One male and one female were taken into custody at the location and another man who escaped following the explosion was located not long after. Each of them have been transported to hospital.

The explosion could be audible approximately 5 kilometers away and photographs from the scene revealed the building left as a mass of wreckage.

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

Financial Context

The president of the Veneto region, President Zaia, stated the farmhouse was under an removal notice due to debts incurred by the three owners.

Mediators had been assigned to engage the family members who had barricaded themselves into the house. When the police came shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators think one of the residents set off the blast.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” regional commander the police commander informed news outlets.

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

Molotov cocktails were also discovered at the residence, the interior minister confirmed.

Injuries and Destruction

Those injured by the blast comprised eleven more officers of the military police as well as three officers of national police and a firefighter.

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

The prosecutor believed the detonation had taken place on a floor above the entrance and told the press it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Moments before the blast, he revealed officers had “heard a whistle, presumably the gas cylinders being opened”.

Neighbor Statements

“We all knew the situation was dire,” neighbors told Italian media, noting that the family members had in the past stated to “detonate the property” rather than vacate the property.

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

Minister of Defence the Defence Minister united with other political leaders in honoring the trio of personnel who had died in the service of their country.