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Three police officers lost their lives and no fewer than 15 others sustained injuries in a seemingly intentional gas explosion at a rural property in Italy's north.

How It Happened

The explosion was triggered as law enforcement and fire personnel approached the property near Verona to carry out an removal notice for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

The three victims who died were members of the Carabinieri military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

A man and a woman were taken into custody at the location and a third person who fled following the blast was found shortly later. All three have been admitted to the hospital.

The explosion could be noticed approximately 5 kilometers away and photographs from the location displayed the structure turned into a mass of wreckage.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” stated the Minister of the Interior Minister Piantedosi, who added that previous tries had been made to displace the three siblings in the previous occasions.

Property Situation

The president of the Veneto area, President Zaia, explained the property was subject to an removal notice due to financial obligations accrued by the property owners.

Negotiators had been sent to speak to the family members who had locked themselves into the property. When the police reached the location soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials suspect a family member caused the blast.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” regional commander Commander Papagno told the media.

“A gas cylinder had been ignited, and the detonation directly hit our officers,” he said.

Molotov cocktails were also discovered at the property, the interior minister confirmed.

Impact Assessment

Injured individuals by the blast consisted of 11 other members of the police force as well as three officers of Italy's state police and a emergency responder.

According to the local prosecutor, the property was in a dilapidated shape and had no electricity.

He was convinced the explosion had taken place on a story above the doorway and told reporters it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Moments before the incident, he mentioned officers had “detected a whistling noise, presumably the propane tanks being activated”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” nearby inhabitants informed local news, adding that the three had previously threatened to “detonate the property” rather than vacate the property.

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

The Defense Minister the Defence Minister united with other elected representatives in honoring the three officers who had lost their lives in the line of duty.