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A trio of officers were killed and more than a dozen others were hurt in what appears to be intentional blast caused by gas at a country home in northern Italy.

How It Happened

The detonation occurred as law enforcement and fire personnel entered the house near the city of Verona to carry out an eviction order for a brother and sister trio in their late 50s and mid-60s.

Each of the three officers killed served in the Carabinieri military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

One male and one female were taken into custody at the site and one more individual who escaped after the incident was apprehended shortly later. The trio have been transported to the hospital.

The blast could be audible approximately 5 kilometers away and footage from the scene displayed the structure turned into a mass of wreckage.

“We are in a period of mourning,” said Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who added that attempts had been made to evict the three family members in the earlier times.

Background and Motive

The president of the region of Veneto, Luca Zaia, explained the farmhouse was under an court order due to debts accumulated by the three owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been sent to engage the brothers and sister who had secured themselves into the property. When the police came soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities think one of the siblings triggered the detonation.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” local police chief Claudio Papagno told reporters.

A gas canister had been set off, and the blast directly hit our personnel,” he said.

Incendiary devices were also found at the property, the Interior Minister stated.

Impact Assessment

The wounded by the incident comprised 11 other members of the police force as well as three members of national police and a emergency responder.

According to the Verona prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a dilapidated shape and had was without power.

The prosecutor was convinced the blast had taken place on a level above the entrance and stated to reporters it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Shortly before the incident, he said members had “noticed a hissing sound, likely the gas canisters being turned on”.

Neighbor Statements

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

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

The Defense Minister Guido Crosetto stood alongside other elected representatives in paying tribute to the trio of personnel who had lost their lives in the service of their country.