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A trio of officers were killed and more than a dozen people got wounded in a seemingly deliberate detonation from gas at a farmhouse in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The explosion took place as police and firefighters entered the residence close to the city of Verona to carry out an eviction order for three siblings in their late 50s and mid-60s.

The three officers killed belonged to the Italian military police.

Investigation Developments

Two individuals were arrested at the scene and one more individual who ran away after the explosion was located not long after. All three have been taken to hospital.

The blast could be noticed as far as 3 miles distant and images from the area showed the building reduced to a pile of rubble.

“We are in a period of mourning,” said Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who added that previous tries had been made to remove the three siblings in the earlier times.

Property Situation

The president of the Veneto area, Luca Zaia, stated the residence was under an removal notice due to unpaid amounts incurred by the siblings.

Negotiators had been sent to speak to the brothers and sister who had locked themselves into the property. When the police came shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials suspect one of the residents set off the detonation.

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

“A gas cylinder had been set off, and the detonation precisely impacted our personnel,” he said.

Petrol bombs were also discovered at the property, the Interior Minister confirmed.

Injuries and Destruction

The wounded by the incident comprised eleven more officers of the military police as well as three members of national police and a firefighter.

As stated by the Verona prosecutor, the building was in a derelict state and had lacked electrical service.

The prosecutor believed the detonation had happened on a floor above the entrance and informed reporters it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Moments before the explosion, he said members had “heard a whistle, likely the propane tanks being opened”.

Local Response

“We all knew the situation was dire,” neighbors informed reporters, adding that the family members had previously threatened to “detonate the property” rather than leave the house.

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

Defence Minister the Defence Minister joined other elected representatives in honoring the trio of personnel who had died in the service of their country.