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Three members of law enforcement perished and more than a dozen people sustained injuries in an apparently intentional blast caused by gas at a farmhouse in Italy's north.

Sequence of Events

The explosion took place as police and firefighters entered the residence close to the city of Verona to enforce an court-ordered eviction for three siblings in their late 50s and mid-60s.

The three officers killed belonged to the Italian military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

Two individuals were taken into custody at the site and one more individual who escaped following the incident was apprehended not long after. All three have been transported to the hospital.

The blast could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and footage from the scene displayed the structure left as a mass of wreckage.

“This is a time for grieving,” stated the Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who added that previous tries had been made to remove the three family members in the earlier times.

Property Situation

The president of the region of Veneto, the regional head, explained the residence was under an removal notice due to financial obligations accrued by the three owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been assigned to speak to the siblings who had locked themselves into the home. When the Carabinieri came soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials think one of the siblings set off the explosion.

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

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

Petrol bombs were also found at the residence, the Interior Minister confirmed.

Impact Assessment

Injured individuals by the incident consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the police force as well as three members of the state police and a fire services member.

As stated by the prosecuting attorney, the building was in a poor condition and had no electricity.

The prosecutor thought the detonation had occurred on a floor above the entrance and informed journalists it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Moments before the explosion, he said officers had “noticed a hissing sound, probably the gas cylinders being activated”.

Neighbor Statements

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” local residents told local news, noting that the three had earlier warned to “cause an explosion” rather than leave the house.

“The blast resulted in a ‘horrific, deeply distressing and tragic cost’.”

The Defense Minister the Defence Minister stood alongside other political leaders in paying tribute to the three officers who had been killed in the line of duty.