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A trio of officers lost their lives and no fewer than 15 people were hurt in what appears to be intentional detonation from gas at a country home in Italy's north.

Event Timeline

The blast was triggered as officers and emergency crews entered the property in the vicinity of the city of Verona to execute an eviction order for two brothers and a sister who were older adults.

All three officers killed belonged to the Carabinieri force.

Legal Proceedings

Two individuals got detained at the scene and one more individual who fled after the blast was found soon after. Each of them have been transported to the hospital.

The detonation could be heard as far as 3 miles distant and footage from the location showed the property left as a mass of wreckage.

“This is a time for grieving,” said the Minister of the Interior Minister Piantedosi, who mentioned that previous tries had been made to evict the brother and sister trio in the previous occasions.

Property Situation

The leader of the Veneto region, President Zaia, said the farmhouse was under an eviction order due to debts accumulated by the three owners.

Mediators had been assigned to engage the siblings who had barricaded themselves into the home. When the police came shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators believe a family member set off the blast.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” provincial police commander Commander Papagno told reporters.

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

Petrol bombs were also found at the site, the interior minister said.

Casualties and Damage

Injured individuals by the incident included 11 other members of the military police as well as three members of national police and a emergency responder.

Based on information from the local prosecutor, the property was in a poor condition and had was without power.

The prosecutor thought the detonation had taken place on a floor above the entrance and informed journalists it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Moments before the incident, he revealed members had “detected a whistling noise, presumably the gas cylinders being activated”.

Neighbor Statements

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” nearby inhabitants told local news, noting that the trio had previously threatened to “detonate the property” rather than leave the house.

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

The Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stood alongside other elected representatives in commemorating the trio of personnel who had lost their lives in the line of duty.