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Three members of law enforcement were killed and no fewer than 15 people were hurt in what appears to be intentional blast caused by gas at a country home in Italy's north.

Event Timeline

The explosion took place as officers and emergency crews went into the property close to the Verona region to carry out an removal notice for two brothers and a sister aged in their 50s and 60s.

Each of the three officers killed belonged to the Carabinieri force.

Arrests and Aftermath

Two individuals got detained at the scene and another man who ran away following the blast was located shortly later. Each of them have been taken to medical facility.

The explosion could be noticed approximately 5 kilometers away and photographs from the scene showed the property reduced to a mass of wreckage.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” commented the Minister of the Interior Minister Piantedosi, who noted that attempts had been made to displace the brother and sister trio in the earlier times.

Background and Motive

The leader of the region of Veneto, the regional head, explained the farmhouse was facing an court order due to unpaid amounts incurred by the three owners.

Mediators had been assigned to talk with the family members who had secured themselves into the home. When the officers came just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities suspect a family member set off the detonation.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” provincial police commander the police commander informed news outlets.

A propane tank had been ignited, and the detonation directly hit our officers,” he explained.

Molotov cocktails were also discovered at the residence, the interior minister stated.

Casualties and Damage

The wounded by the blast comprised 11 other members of the military police as well as a trio of personnel of national police and a firefighter.

As stated by the Verona prosecutor, the building was in a derelict state and had no electricity.

The official believed the detonation had occurred on a story above the doorway and stated to reporters it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Moments before the incident, he said officers had “noticed a hissing sound, presumably the propane tanks being opened”.

Local Response

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” neighbors stated to local news, adding that the family members had in the past stated to “blow themselves up” rather than be evicted.

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

The Defense Minister Minister Crosetto stood alongside other government officials in commemorating the three officers who had been killed in the performance of their duties.