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Three police officers lost their lives and no fewer than 15 others were hurt in an apparently premeditated blast caused by gas at a rural property in northern Italy.

Sequence of Events

The blast took place as police and firefighters entered the property close to the Verona region to execute an court-ordered eviction for two brothers and a sister who were older adults.

Each of the three officers killed were members of the Carabinieri force.

Arrests and Aftermath

One male and one female were arrested at the site and one more individual who ran away following the explosion was apprehended shortly later. The trio have been taken to hospital.

The blast could be noticed some 5km (3 miles) away and photographs from the area displayed the structure turned into a heap of debris.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” said the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, who added that efforts had been made to remove the three siblings in the earlier times.

Property Situation

The president of the Veneto region, the regional head, stated the farmhouse was facing an removal notice due to financial obligations accrued by the siblings.

Conflict resolution experts had been assigned to engage the siblings who had secured themselves into the property. When the Carabinieri came soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials believe one of the residents set off the detonation.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” local police chief the police commander stated to reporters.

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

Molotov cocktails were also located at the site, the Interior Minister confirmed.

Impact Assessment

The wounded by the blast included an additional 11 personnel of the police force as well as a trio of personnel of national police and a emergency responder.

As stated by the Verona prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a dilapidated shape and had no electricity.

He was convinced the blast had occurred on a floor above the doorway and told the press it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Just prior to the explosion, he mentioned personnel had “heard a whistle, likely the gas canisters being turned on”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” local residents stated to reporters, adding that the trio had earlier warned to “detonate the property” rather than be evicted.

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

Defence Minister the Defence Minister joined other elected representatives in paying tribute to the three officers who had lost their lives in the line of duty.