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Three police officers perished and no fewer than 15 additional individuals got wounded in an apparently deliberate detonation from gas at a rural property in Italy's north.

Event Timeline

The blast took place as law enforcement and fire personnel entered the residence near the city of Verona to enforce an removal notice for a brother and sister trio aged in their 50s and 60s.

Each of the three deceased individuals belonged to the Italian military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

A man and a woman were arrested at the scene and one more individual who fled following the explosion was found not long after. The trio have been transported to hospital.

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

“This is a time for grieving,” said the Minister of the Interior Minister Piantedosi, who mentioned that previous tries had been made to remove the three family members in the earlier times.

Background and Motive

The head of the region of Veneto, Luca Zaia, explained the farmhouse was facing an court order due to financial obligations accrued by the property owners.

Negotiators had been assigned to talk with the brothers and sister who had locked themselves into the home. When the Carabinieri came just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators believe a family member set off the detonation.

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

A gas canister had been activated, and the detonation immediately struck our officers,” he said.

Molotov cocktails were also located at the property, the minister stated.

Impact Assessment

Those injured by the blast comprised an additional 11 personnel of the police force as well as three officers of national police and a emergency responder.

As stated by the prosecuting attorney, the property was in a derelict state and had was without power.

He was convinced the detonation had taken place on a floor above the entrance and informed the press it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Moments before the blast, he said members had “heard a whistle, probably the gas cylinders being opened”.

Local Response

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents stated to reporters, adding that the trio had in the past stated to “detonate the property” rather than vacate the property.

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

The Defense Minister Minister Crosetto joined other government officials in paying tribute to the three officers who had lost their lives in the line of duty.