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A trio of officers were killed and more than a dozen others got wounded in an apparently deliberate detonation from gas at a rural property in Italy's north.

Sequence of Events

The explosion occurred as police and firefighters approached the house close to the Verona region to execute an court-ordered eviction for two brothers and a sister in their late 50s and mid-60s.

The three victims who died belonged to the Carabinieri military police.

Investigation Developments

Two individuals were arrested at the site and a third person who escaped after the explosion was located not long after. All three have been transported to hospital.

The blast could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and photographs from the area showed the building turned into a pile of rubble.

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

Background and Motive

The president of the region of Veneto, Luca Zaia, explained the farmhouse was facing an removal notice due to debts accumulated by the three owners.

Negotiators had been sent to speak to the siblings who had secured themselves into the house. When the Carabinieri came just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials believe a family member triggered the explosion.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” regional commander the police commander stated to news outlets.

A gas canister had been activated, and the blast precisely impacted our officers,” he explained.

Molotov cocktails were also discovered at the site, the Interior Minister confirmed.

Impact Assessment

Injured individuals by the incident consisted of 11 other members of the military police as well as a trio of personnel of national police and a firefighter.

As stated by the local prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a poor condition and had no electricity.

The official believed the explosion had occurred on a level above the doorway and informed reporters it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the explosion, he said personnel had “noticed a hissing sound, probably the propane tanks being turned on”.

Neighbor Statements

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” local residents told Italian media, mentioning that the family members had in the past stated to “blow themselves up” rather than leave the house.

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

Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto stood alongside other political leaders in honoring the three officers who had been killed in the service of their country.