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Three police officers were killed and no fewer than 15 people sustained injuries in a seemingly intentional blast caused by gas at a farmhouse in the northern part of Italy.

How It Happened

The explosion occurred as police and firefighters went into the house close to the city of Verona to execute an eviction order for two brothers and a sister aged in their 50s and 60s.

All three officers killed were members of the Italian military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

Two individuals were taken into custody at the location and a third person who escaped subsequent to the incident was found shortly later. The trio have been admitted to medical facility.

The detonation could be heard as far as 3 miles distant and images from the scene revealed the property turned into a pile of rubble.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” said the Minister of the Interior the Interior Minister, who noted that efforts had been made to remove the three family members in the previous occasions.

Background and Motive

The leader of the region of Veneto, Luca Zaia, said the farmhouse was under an court order due to unpaid amounts accrued by the three owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been dispatched to engage the family members who had secured themselves into the property. When the Carabinieri arrived soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators think one of the residents triggered the detonation.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” local police chief the police commander told reporters.

A propane tank had been activated, and the explosion directly hit our officers,” he said.

Incendiary devices were also located at the residence, the Interior Minister stated.

Injuries and Destruction

The wounded by the blast comprised an additional 11 personnel of the police force as well as three officers of the state police and a firefighter.

According to the local prosecutor, the property was in a poor condition and had no electricity.

The official was convinced the detonation had taken place on a story above the entrance and informed reporters it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Moments before the incident, he mentioned members had “heard a whistle, presumably the gas canisters being turned on”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” nearby inhabitants informed local news, mentioning that the three had previously threatened to “cause an explosion” rather than be evicted.

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

Defence Minister the Defence Minister joined other elected representatives in commemorating the trio of personnel who had been killed in the service of their country.