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Three police officers lost their lives and more than a dozen others got wounded in a seemingly premeditated blast caused by gas at a farmhouse in Italy's north.

How It Happened

The explosion occurred as officers and emergency crews went into the property near the Verona region to enforce an removal notice for two brothers and a sister aged in their 50s and 60s.

All three deceased individuals belonged to the Carabinieri military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

A man and a woman were taken into custody at the scene and one more individual who fled following the explosion was found not long after. All three have been admitted to medical facility.

The blast could be heard as far as 3 miles distant and footage from the location displayed the structure left as a pile of rubble.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” commented the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, who noted that efforts had been made to displace the three siblings in the past.

Property Situation

The leader of the region of Veneto, Luca Zaia, said the farmhouse was subject to an court order due to unpaid amounts accrued by the three owners.

Negotiators had been dispatched to speak to the siblings who had secured themselves into the house. When the police arrived soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators suspect one of the residents set off the blast.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” regional commander Commander Papagno informed news outlets.

“A gas cylinder had been ignited, and the detonation precisely impacted our personnel,” he explained.

Molotov cocktails were also found at the site, the minister said.

Casualties and Damage

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

Based on information from the local prosecutor, the property was in a derelict state and had was without power.

He was convinced the explosion had occurred on a floor above the doorway and informed reporters it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Moments before the explosion, he mentioned officers had “detected a whistling noise, presumably the propane tanks being opened”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” neighbors stated to reporters, noting that the family members had earlier warned to “cause an explosion” rather than vacate the property.

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

The Defense Minister Minister Crosetto joined other elected representatives in paying tribute to the trio of personnel who had died in the service of their country.