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Three police officers were killed and at least 15 others were hurt in a seemingly premeditated blast caused by gas at a rural property in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The blast was triggered as officers and emergency crews approached the house close to the city of Verona to carry out an removal notice for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

All three victims who died were members of the Carabinieri military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

Two individuals were taken into custody at the scene and another man who fled after the explosion was apprehended soon after. The trio have been admitted to hospital.

The explosion could be heard approximately 5 kilometers away and photographs from the scene displayed the property turned into a heap of debris.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” stated Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who noted that previous tries had been made to evict the brother and sister trio in the earlier times.

Financial Context

The president of the region of Veneto, the regional head, explained the residence was facing an court order due to debts accumulated by the siblings.

Negotiators had been assigned to speak to the family members who had barricaded themselves into the property. When the police arrived just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials think one of the siblings set off the blast.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” provincial police commander Commander Papagno told the media.

A propane tank had been ignited, and the blast precisely impacted our members,” he explained.

Petrol bombs were also discovered at the site, the interior minister said.

Impact Assessment

Those injured by the blast consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the police force as well as a trio of personnel of Italy's state police and a firefighter.

According to the local prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a derelict state and had no electricity.

The official was convinced the explosion had occurred on a level above the access point and informed the press it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Moments before the explosion, he revealed personnel had “heard a whistle, presumably the propane tanks being opened”.

Local Response

“We all knew the situation was dire,” neighbors informed local news, noting that the family members had previously threatened to “blow themselves up” rather than be evicted.

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

Defence Minister Minister Crosetto joined other elected representatives in honoring the trio of personnel who had lost their lives in the performance of their duties.