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A trio of officers lost their lives and more than a dozen additional individuals sustained injuries in what appears to be deliberate gas explosion at a country home in Italy's north.

Event Timeline

The blast took place as police and firefighters entered the house close to the city of Verona to enforce an removal notice for two brothers and a sister who were older adults.

Each of the three officers killed served in the Carabinieri military police.

Legal Proceedings

Two individuals were taken into custody at the site and another man who fled following the explosion was located soon after. Each of them have been taken to hospital.

The detonation could be heard as far as 3 miles distant and images from the area revealed the building reduced to a heap of debris.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” said Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who noted that previous tries had been made to evict the brother and sister trio in the previous occasions.

Financial Context

The leader of the region of Veneto, Luca Zaia, stated the property was under an court order due to financial obligations accrued by the three owners.

Negotiators had been dispatched to speak to the siblings who had locked themselves into the home. When the Carabinieri reached the location shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators believe one of the residents caused the explosion.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” provincial police commander Claudio Papagno told reporters.

A gas canister had been activated, and the explosion immediately struck our members,” he added.

Incendiary devices were also located at the site, the interior minister said.

Injuries and Destruction

Those injured by the incident included an additional 11 personnel of the Carabinieri as well as three members of national police and a firefighter.

As stated by the prosecuting attorney, the building was in a derelict state and had no electricity.

The prosecutor was convinced the explosion had happened on a level above the entrance and stated to reporters it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Shortly before the incident, he mentioned officers had “heard a whistle, probably the gas cylinders being activated”.

Local Response

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” nearby inhabitants stated to Italian media, noting that the family members had previously threatened to “blow themselves up” rather than vacate the property.

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

The Defense Minister Minister Crosetto stood alongside other political leaders in paying tribute to the three officers who had lost their lives in the line of duty.