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Three police officers lost their lives and at least 15 people sustained injuries in what appears to be deliberate blast caused by gas at a farmhouse in northern Italy.

How It Happened

The detonation took place as officers and emergency crews went into the house in the vicinity of the city of Verona to carry out an removal notice for two brothers and a sister aged in their 50s and 60s.

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

Investigation Developments

One male and one female got detained at the location and another man who fled after the blast was apprehended soon after. All three have been transported to medical facility.

The detonation could be audible approximately 5 kilometers away and images from the area displayed the property reduced to a mass of wreckage.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” commented Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who mentioned that efforts had been made to evict the brother and sister trio in the past.

Background and Motive

The leader of the Veneto region, the regional head, stated the farmhouse was facing an eviction order due to financial obligations incurred by the three owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been sent to talk with the siblings who had barricaded themselves into the house. When the officers reached the location soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities believe one of the residents set off the blast.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” local police chief the police commander stated to news outlets.

A propane tank had been set off, and the blast immediately struck our personnel,” he added.

Incendiary devices were also located at the property, the Interior Minister stated.

Impact Assessment

The wounded by the blast included eleven more officers of the police force as well as three officers of Italy's state police and a emergency responder.

As stated by the Verona prosecutor, the property was in a dilapidated shape and had no electricity.

The official believed the explosion had happened on a story above the entrance and told journalists it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Moments before the incident, he revealed members had “noticed a hissing sound, probably the propane tanks being turned on”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” local residents stated to local news, adding that the trio had previously threatened to “cause an explosion” rather than vacate the property.

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

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto united with other government officials in commemorating the three officers who had been killed in the service of their country.