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A trio of officers lost their lives and no fewer than 15 others were hurt in a seemingly deliberate blast caused by gas at a farmhouse in northern Italy.

How It Happened

The detonation took place as law enforcement and fire personnel went into the residence near the Verona region to enforce an eviction order for a brother and sister trio in their late 50s and mid-60s.

The three deceased individuals were members of the Italian military police.

Investigation Developments

One male and one female were taken into custody at the scene and one more individual who ran away after the incident was found not long after. The trio have been admitted to the hospital.

The detonation could be heard some 5km (3 miles) away and images from the scene displayed the structure reduced to a pile of rubble.

“We are in a period of mourning,” said the Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who added that efforts had been made to displace the three siblings in the previous occasions.

Property Situation

The president of the Veneto area, Luca Zaia, said the residence was under an removal notice due to financial obligations accumulated by the property owners.

Negotiators had been sent to speak to the family members who had secured themselves into the property. When the officers arrived shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities think one of the residents set off the explosion.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” provincial police commander Claudio Papagno told news outlets.

A gas canister had been activated, and the blast immediately struck our members,” he explained.

Incendiary devices were also discovered at the site, the minister confirmed.

Casualties and Damage

Injured individuals by the incident consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the military police as well as three members of the state police and a fire services member.

Based on information from the prosecuting attorney, the property was in a derelict state and had lacked electrical service.

The prosecutor thought the blast had happened on a level above the doorway and told journalists it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Moments before the incident, he mentioned personnel had “noticed a hissing sound, likely the propane tanks being opened”.

Community Reaction

“We all knew the situation was dire,” nearby inhabitants informed local news, mentioning that the family members had earlier warned to “blow themselves up” rather than be evicted.

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

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto united with other political leaders in honoring the trio of personnel who had died in the line of duty.