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A trio of officers perished and at least 15 additional individuals were hurt in what appears to be intentional blast caused by gas at a rural property in the northern part of Italy.

How It Happened

The explosion took place as law enforcement and fire personnel entered the property near Verona to execute an removal notice for two brothers and a sister who were older adults.

Each of the three officers killed belonged to the Carabinieri military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

One male and one female were arrested at the scene and another man who fled following the blast was apprehended soon after. Each of them have been transported to the hospital.

The blast could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and photographs from the area revealed the building left as a heap of debris.

“We are in a period of mourning,” said the Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who noted that previous tries had been made to remove the brother and sister trio in the earlier times.

Property Situation

The president of the region of Veneto, the regional head, said the residence was subject to an eviction order due to debts accrued by the property owners.

Mediators had been sent to engage the family members who had secured themselves into the home. When the police came just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities think one of the residents triggered the detonation.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” provincial police commander the police commander informed reporters.

“A gas cylinder had been activated, and the blast directly hit our personnel,” he added.

Molotov cocktails were also located at the site, the interior minister said.

Impact Assessment

Injured individuals by the blast included an additional 11 personnel of the military police as well as a trio of personnel of Italy's state police and a fire services member.

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

The prosecutor believed the detonation had taken place on a story above the access point and informed reporters it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Shortly before the incident, he mentioned members had “detected a whistling noise, presumably the gas cylinders being turned on”.

Local Response

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents informed Italian media, adding that the family members had previously threatened to “cause an explosion” rather than vacate the property.

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

Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto joined other elected representatives in paying tribute to the three men who had been killed in the service of their country.