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Three police officers perished and at least 15 additional individuals got wounded in a seemingly deliberate gas explosion at a country home in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The explosion occurred as law enforcement and fire personnel entered the property in the vicinity of the city of Verona to enforce an court-ordered eviction for a brother and sister trio in their late 50s and mid-60s.

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

Arrests and Aftermath

Two individuals were taken into custody at the scene and one more individual who fled after the explosion was apprehended not long after. Each of them have been taken to medical facility.

The explosion could be noticed as far as 3 miles distant and photographs from the scene displayed the building left as a heap of debris.

“We are in a period of mourning,” stated the Minister of the Interior Minister Piantedosi, who mentioned that previous tries had been made to remove the three family members in the past.

Background and Motive

The leader of the Veneto region, President Zaia, explained the property was under an eviction order due to unpaid amounts accumulated by the siblings.

Mediators had been dispatched to speak to the brothers and sister who had secured themselves into the house. When the Carabinieri came shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators think one of the siblings triggered the detonation.

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

A gas canister had been ignited, and the blast immediately struck our officers,” he added.

Molotov cocktails were also located at the site, the minister said.

Injuries and Destruction

Those injured by the explosion consisted of eleven more officers of the police force as well as three officers of the state police and a emergency responder.

As stated by the Verona prosecutor, the building was in a dilapidated shape and had was without power.

He was convinced the blast had occurred on a level above the entrance and stated to reporters it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Moments before the blast, he revealed officers had “heard a whistle, presumably the gas cylinders being opened”.

Local Response

“We all knew the situation was dire,” neighbors informed Italian media, mentioning that the family members had earlier warned to “blow themselves up” rather than vacate the property.

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

Defence Minister Minister Crosetto stood alongside other government officials in honoring the trio of personnel who had lost their lives in the line of duty.