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Three members of law enforcement perished and more than a dozen people were hurt in a seemingly intentional gas explosion at a farmhouse in northern Italy.

How It Happened

The blast was triggered as police and firefighters entered the house close to the city of Verona to carry out an removal notice for two brothers and a sister aged in their 50s and 60s.

The three deceased individuals were members of the Carabinieri force.

Arrests and Aftermath

One male and one female were arrested at the location and one more individual who ran away following the blast was apprehended shortly later. Each of them have been taken to hospital.

The explosion could be noticed as far as 3 miles distant and footage from the location showed the property reduced to a heap of debris.

“We are in a period of mourning,” said the Minister of the Interior Minister Piantedosi, who added that efforts had been made to remove the three siblings in the previous occasions.

Background and Motive

The president of the region of Veneto, President Zaia, explained the property was facing an court order due to financial obligations incurred by the three owners.

Negotiators had been sent to talk with the siblings who had barricaded themselves into the property. When the police reached the location shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators think one of the siblings caused the blast.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” local police chief Claudio Papagno informed news outlets.

“A gas cylinder had been set off, and the explosion directly hit our officers,” he said.

Incendiary devices were also found at the residence, the Interior Minister confirmed.

Impact Assessment

Those injured by the explosion comprised eleven more officers of the military police as well as three officers of national police and a firefighter.

Based on information from the prosecuting attorney, the property was in a poor condition and had lacked electrical service.

The prosecutor thought the blast had taken place on a story above the doorway and informed the press it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Moments before the blast, he revealed personnel had “heard a whistle, presumably the gas canisters being activated”.

Community Reaction

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” nearby inhabitants told local news, noting that the trio had previously threatened to “blow themselves up” rather than be evicted.

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

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto united with other government officials in commemorating the trio of personnel who had lost their lives in the service of their country.