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Three police officers were killed and more than a dozen additional individuals were hurt in an apparently deliberate detonation from gas at a rural property in Italy's north.

Sequence of Events

The explosion occurred as law enforcement and fire personnel entered the house close to Verona to enforce an eviction order for three siblings in their late 50s and mid-60s.

The three deceased individuals were members of the Carabinieri force.

Investigation Developments

Two individuals were arrested at the location and one more individual who escaped following the blast was found not long after. Each of them have been transported to the hospital.

The detonation could be noticed approximately 5 kilometers away and footage from the area displayed the structure left as a pile of rubble.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” commented Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who mentioned that attempts had been made to displace the three siblings in the past.

Financial Context

The leader of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, stated the residence was subject to an court order due to debts incurred by the siblings.

Conflict resolution experts had been dispatched to talk with the siblings who had barricaded themselves into the property. When the officers came shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials suspect a family member triggered the detonation.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” provincial police commander Claudio Papagno told reporters.

“A gas cylinder had been ignited, and the explosion directly hit our officers,” he explained.

Molotov cocktails were also located at the property, the interior minister stated.

Injuries and Destruction

Injured individuals by the explosion consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the Carabinieri as well as a trio of personnel of the state police and a fire services member.

According to the prosecuting attorney, the farmhouse was in a derelict state and had lacked electrical service.

The prosecutor was convinced the blast had happened on a level above the access point and informed the press it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Shortly before the incident, he said members had “heard a whistle, presumably the propane tanks being activated”.

Local Response

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” neighbors stated to local news, adding that the family members had previously threatened to “blow themselves up” rather than vacate the property.

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

Minister of Defence Minister Crosetto joined other political leaders in honoring the trio of personnel who had lost their lives in the performance of their duties.