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Three police officers perished and more than a dozen people sustained injuries in an apparently premeditated gas explosion at a farmhouse in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The explosion took place as police and firefighters went into the house close to the Verona region to enforce an removal notice for a brother and sister trio in their late 50s and mid-60s.

All three deceased individuals belonged to the Carabinieri military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

Two individuals got detained at the site and another man who ran away following the incident was apprehended shortly later. Each of them have been admitted to medical facility.

The detonation could be heard approximately 5 kilometers away and images from the scene showed the structure turned into a pile of rubble.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” said the Minister of the Interior Minister Piantedosi, who mentioned that attempts had been made to evict the three siblings in the previous occasions.

Property Situation

The leader of the Veneto region, President Zaia, stated the residence was under an court order due to financial obligations accrued by the siblings.

Conflict resolution experts had been dispatched to talk with the brothers and sister who had barricaded themselves into the property. When the police arrived soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials believe one of the siblings caused the explosion.

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

A propane tank had been activated, and the blast immediately struck our personnel,” he said.

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

Impact Assessment

Injured individuals by the incident comprised eleven more officers of the military police as well as three members of Italy's state police and a fire services member.

As stated by the local prosecutor, the building was in a dilapidated shape and had was without power.

The official was convinced the detonation had occurred on a story above the doorway and informed the press it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the blast, he said personnel had “detected a whistling noise, likely the gas cylinders being turned on”.

Neighbor Statements

“We all knew the situation was dire,” nearby inhabitants stated to Italian media, adding that the three had earlier warned to “blow themselves up” rather than leave the house.

“The explosion had left a ‘terrible, very painful and dramatic toll’.”

Defence Minister Minister Crosetto stood alongside other elected representatives in paying tribute to the three men who had died in the performance of their duties.