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Three police officers perished and more than a dozen others sustained injuries in what appears to be deliberate blast caused by gas at a farmhouse in Italy's north.

How It Happened

The detonation occurred as police and firefighters went into the residence close to Verona to enforce an court-ordered eviction for two brothers and a sister aged in their 50s and 60s.

All three victims who died belonged to the Italian military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

Two individuals got detained at the scene and a third person who ran away following the explosion was found soon after. All three have been taken to hospital.

The explosion could be heard approximately 5 kilometers away and footage from the area showed the property reduced to a pile of rubble.

“We are in a period of mourning,” stated the Minister of the Interior the Interior Minister, who noted that attempts had been made to remove the three family members in the past.

Property Situation

The head of the Veneto region, the regional head, said the residence was subject to an removal notice due to financial obligations accrued by the property owners.

Negotiators had been assigned to talk with the brothers and sister who had barricaded themselves into the house. When the officers reached the location just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities think one of the siblings triggered the blast.

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

“A gas cylinder had been ignited, and the detonation immediately struck our officers,” he said.

Incendiary devices were also discovered at the residence, the Interior Minister stated.

Injuries and Destruction

Injured individuals by the blast comprised eleven more officers of the police force as well as a trio of personnel of Italy's state police and a fire services member.

According to the prosecuting attorney, the building was in a derelict state and had no electricity.

The prosecutor was convinced the explosion had occurred on a floor above the entrance and stated to journalists it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Shortly before the incident, he revealed members had “noticed a hissing sound, likely the propane tanks being activated”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” nearby inhabitants stated to reporters, noting that the three had in the past stated to “cause an explosion” rather than be evicted.

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

Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto joined other political leaders in honoring the three men who had lost their lives in the performance of their duties.