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Three police officers perished and no fewer than 15 additional individuals sustained injuries in a seemingly intentional blast caused by gas at a country home in northern Italy.

Sequence of Events

The explosion occurred as law enforcement and fire personnel went into the house near the Verona region to carry out an removal notice for three siblings who were older adults.

Each of the three victims who died were members of the Italian military police.

Investigation Developments

A man and a woman were arrested at the scene and another man who escaped following the incident was located shortly later. All three have been taken to hospital.

The explosion could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and footage from the location showed the building turned into a mass of wreckage.

“We are in a period of mourning,” stated Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who noted that previous tries had been made to evict the brother and sister trio in the past.

Financial Context

The president of the Veneto area, the regional head, said the residence was subject to an court order due to debts accrued by the siblings.

Negotiators had been assigned to engage the family members who had barricaded themselves into the property. When the officers came soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators suspect one of the residents set off the explosion.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” regional commander Commander Papagno told the media.

A propane tank had been activated, and the detonation directly hit our members,” he explained.

Petrol bombs were also found at the residence, the minister stated.

Casualties and Damage

The wounded by the incident included eleven more officers of the Carabinieri as well as a trio of personnel of Italy's state police and a emergency responder.

Based on information from the prosecuting attorney, the building was in a derelict state and had lacked electrical service.

He was convinced the detonation had taken place on a level above the entrance and told journalists it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Just prior to the incident, he mentioned officers had “detected a whistling noise, likely the gas cylinders being turned on”.

Community Reaction

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents told local news, noting that the trio had earlier warned to “detonate the property” rather than vacate the property.

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

Minister of Defence Minister Crosetto united with other government officials in paying tribute to the three men who had lost their lives in the line of duty.