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Three police officers were killed and at least 15 others were hurt in a seemingly intentional gas explosion at a country home in the northern part of Italy.

How It Happened

The detonation occurred as law enforcement and fire personnel went into the house close to the Verona region to enforce an court-ordered eviction for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

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

Investigation Developments

One male and one female got detained at the scene and another man who escaped following the blast was found not long after. Each of them have been admitted to medical facility.

The explosion could be heard as far as 3 miles distant and photographs from the scene displayed the structure turned into a mass of wreckage.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” commented the Minister of the Interior the Interior Minister, who added that previous tries had been made to evict the brother and sister trio in the past.

Background and Motive

The president of the Veneto area, the regional head, stated the property was facing an court order due to financial obligations incurred by the property owners.

Mediators had been assigned to talk with the siblings who had secured themselves into the home. When the police came soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities think a family member triggered the blast.

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

“A gas cylinder had been set off, and the explosion precisely impacted our members,” he explained.

Petrol bombs were also discovered at the site, the Interior Minister stated.

Injuries and Destruction

Those injured by the blast consisted of eleven more officers of the police force as well as a trio of personnel of the state police and a firefighter.

According to the local prosecutor, the building was in a dilapidated shape and had no electricity.

He was convinced the detonation had taken place on a story above the doorway and told the press it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Moments before the incident, he said officers had “noticed a hissing sound, presumably the gas cylinders being opened”.

Community Reaction

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” nearby inhabitants stated to reporters, mentioning that the three had previously threatened to “blow themselves up” rather than vacate the property.

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

The Defense Minister Minister Crosetto united with other political leaders in commemorating the three men who had lost their lives in the service of their country.