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A trio of officers were killed and more than a dozen people sustained injuries in a seemingly premeditated gas explosion at a rural property in the northern part of Italy.

Event Timeline

The explosion took place as officers and emergency crews entered the property in the vicinity of the Verona region to execute an court-ordered eviction for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

Each of the three deceased individuals belonged to the Carabinieri force.

Arrests and Aftermath

A man and a woman got detained at the site and one more individual who ran away following the explosion was apprehended shortly later. The trio have been admitted to the hospital.

The explosion could be heard approximately 5 kilometers away and images from the area showed the structure left as a mass of wreckage.

“We are in a period of mourning,” said the Minister of the Interior the Interior Minister, who noted that attempts had been made to displace the three siblings in the earlier times.

Property Situation

The head of the Veneto area, President Zaia, explained the property was facing an eviction order due to financial obligations accrued by the three owners.

Mediators had been dispatched to engage the family members who had secured themselves into the home. When the officers arrived just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators think a family member caused the blast.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” local police chief the police commander stated to reporters.

“A gas cylinder had been set off, and the blast directly hit our members,” he added.

Molotov cocktails were also found at the site, the minister said.

Casualties and Damage

The wounded by the incident consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the military police as well as a trio of personnel of national police and a emergency responder.

According to the local prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a poor condition and had was without power.

The official thought the explosion had occurred on a level above the doorway and told the press it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Shortly before the incident, he mentioned personnel had “noticed a hissing sound, probably the propane tanks being activated”.

Neighbor Statements

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents told reporters, noting that the family members had earlier warned to “blow themselves up” rather than vacate the property.

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

Minister of Defence the Defence Minister joined other government officials in commemorating the trio of personnel who had died in the service of their country.