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A trio of officers perished and more than a dozen others were hurt in what appears to be intentional gas explosion at a country home in Italy's north.

Sequence of Events

The explosion took place as officers and emergency crews went into the residence close to Verona to enforce an eviction order for two brothers and a sister who were older adults.

All three officers killed belonged to the Italian military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

Two individuals were taken into custody at the location and another man who fled subsequent to the explosion was found shortly later. All three have been taken to hospital.

The explosion could be audible as far as 3 miles distant and photographs from the scene revealed the structure reduced to a pile of rubble.

“We are in a period of mourning,” commented the Minister of the Interior Minister Piantedosi, who noted that attempts had been made to remove the three siblings in the previous occasions.

Financial Context

The president of the region of Veneto, the regional head, explained the property was under an eviction order due to unpaid amounts accumulated by the property owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been sent to talk with the siblings who had barricaded themselves into the home. When the officers came shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials suspect one of the siblings caused the explosion.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” regional commander Commander Papagno told the media.

A gas canister had been ignited, and the explosion precisely impacted our personnel,” he explained.

Incendiary devices were also discovered at the residence, the minister stated.

Injuries and Destruction

Injured individuals by the blast consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the police force as well as three members of the state police and a firefighter.

Based on information from the local prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a poor condition and had was without power.

He believed the explosion had occurred on a level above the access point and informed journalists it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Just prior to the explosion, he mentioned members had “heard a whistle, presumably the gas canisters being activated”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” local residents told Italian media, noting that the three had in the past stated to “detonate the property” rather than leave the house.

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

Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto united with other political leaders in honoring the trio of personnel who had lost their lives in the service of their country.