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A trio of officers were killed and no fewer than 15 others got wounded in an apparently deliberate detonation from gas at a country home in Italy's north.

Event Timeline

The explosion was triggered as police and firefighters entered the house in the vicinity of the Verona region to enforce an eviction order for a brother and sister trio aged in their 50s and 60s.

All three victims who died served in the Carabinieri military police.

Investigation Developments

One male and one female were taken into custody at the location and another man who escaped following the incident was found soon after. All three have been transported to the hospital.

The detonation could be noticed approximately 5 kilometers away and images from the location displayed the structure reduced to a heap of debris.

“We are in a period of mourning,” stated Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who noted that previous tries had been made to evict the three siblings in the past.

Background and Motive

The head of the Veneto region, President Zaia, explained the farmhouse was subject to an removal notice due to financial obligations accumulated by the siblings.

Mediators had been assigned to engage the siblings who had locked themselves into the property. When the Carabinieri reached the location just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators think a family member caused the explosion.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” regional commander Claudio Papagno told the media.

A propane tank had been activated, and the blast precisely impacted our personnel,” he said.

Incendiary devices were also found at the residence, the interior minister confirmed.

Casualties and Damage

The wounded by the blast consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the military police as well as three officers of Italy's state police and a fire services member.

Based on information from the Verona prosecutor, the property was in a poor condition and had was without power.

He believed the blast had taken place on a story above the access point and informed journalists it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Moments before the explosion, he said officers had “detected a whistling noise, presumably the propane tanks being activated”.

Local Response

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents told reporters, mentioning that the trio had previously threatened to “blow themselves up” rather than vacate the property.

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

Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto united with other elected representatives in commemorating the three men who had been killed in the service of their country.