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Three members of law enforcement perished and at least 15 additional individuals sustained injuries in what appears to be intentional detonation from gas at a country home in Italy's north.

Event Timeline

The explosion took place as officers and emergency crews went into the residence near the city of Verona to execute an court-ordered eviction for two brothers and a sister who were older adults.

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

Legal Proceedings

A man and a woman were arrested at the site and another man who fled subsequent to the explosion was located not long after. Each of them have been taken to medical facility.

The explosion could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and photographs from the area showed the structure reduced to a heap of debris.

“This is a time for grieving,” commented the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, who mentioned that attempts had been made to evict the three siblings in the past.

Financial Context

The president of the Veneto region, the regional head, stated the residence was facing an court order due to debts incurred by the three owners.

Negotiators had been assigned to talk with the siblings who had secured themselves into the property. When the officers came shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators believe one of the siblings caused the detonation.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” local police chief Commander Papagno stated to reporters.

A propane tank had been ignited, and the detonation directly hit our personnel,” he added.

Molotov cocktails were also found at the site, the Interior Minister stated.

Injuries and Destruction

The wounded by the incident consisted of 11 other members of the military police as well as three officers of national police and a emergency responder.

According to the prosecuting attorney, the building was in a poor condition and had no electricity.

He was convinced the blast had occurred on a floor above the entrance and stated to the press it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Moments before the blast, he mentioned personnel had “detected a whistling noise, probably the gas canisters being activated”.

Community Reaction

“We all knew the situation was dire,” neighbors told reporters, mentioning that the family members had previously threatened to “blow themselves up” rather than vacate the property.

“The explosion had left a ‘terrible, very painful and dramatic toll’.”

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto united with other political leaders in paying tribute to the trio of personnel who had been killed in the service of their country.