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A trio of officers lost their lives and more than a dozen additional individuals sustained injuries in what appears to be premeditated gas explosion at a rural property in the northern part of Italy.

Event Timeline

The blast took place as officers and emergency crews entered the property in the vicinity of the Verona region to carry out an eviction order for three siblings who were older adults.

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

Investigation Developments

One male and one female were taken into custody at the scene and one more individual who fled after the explosion was located not long after. The trio have been transported to the hospital.

The explosion could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and images from the area displayed the property turned into a heap of debris.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” said the Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who added that efforts had been made to evict the three family members in the previous occasions.

Background and Motive

The head of the Veneto region, President Zaia, explained the farmhouse was under an eviction order due to unpaid amounts accrued by the siblings.

Negotiators had been assigned to engage the siblings who had barricaded themselves into the property. When the officers came shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials suspect a family member set off the detonation.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” local police chief Claudio Papagno informed reporters.

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

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

Injuries and Destruction

Injured individuals by the explosion consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the military police as well as three officers of national police and a fire services member.

As stated by the Verona prosecutor, the building was in a poor condition and had lacked electrical service.

He thought the blast had taken place on a level above the entrance and told journalists it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Just prior to the blast, he mentioned personnel had “noticed a hissing sound, presumably the gas cylinders being activated”.

Community Reaction

“We all knew the situation was dire,” nearby inhabitants told reporters, mentioning that the three had in the past stated to “cause an explosion” rather than be evicted.

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

Defence Minister the Defence Minister stood alongside other elected representatives in honoring the three officers who had died in the performance of their duties.