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Three police officers were killed and at least 15 others sustained injuries in what appears to be intentional gas explosion at a farmhouse in the northern part of Italy.

How It Happened

The blast occurred as officers and emergency crews went into the property near the city of Verona to execute an removal notice for a brother and sister trio in their late 50s and mid-60s.

Each of the three officers killed belonged to the Carabinieri force.

Investigation Developments

One male and one female got detained at the site and one more individual who fled subsequent to the explosion was found shortly later. The trio have been admitted to hospital.

The explosion could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and images from the location showed the building left as a mass of wreckage.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” stated Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who mentioned that efforts had been made to remove the three family members in the earlier times.

Background and Motive

The head of the Veneto region, President Zaia, explained the property was subject to an removal notice due to debts accrued by the siblings.

Mediators had been sent to engage the siblings who had barricaded themselves into the property. When the Carabinieri came soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators suspect one of the siblings set off the explosion.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” regional commander the police commander informed reporters.

“A gas cylinder had been activated, and the explosion precisely impacted our members,” he said.

Petrol bombs were also located at the residence, the minister said.

Injuries and Destruction

The wounded by the blast consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the Carabinieri as well as a trio of personnel of the state police and a firefighter.

As stated by the local prosecutor, the building was in a dilapidated shape and had no electricity.

The prosecutor believed the blast had taken place on a floor above the doorway and informed journalists it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Just prior to the blast, he said officers had “noticed a hissing sound, likely the propane tanks being turned on”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” local residents stated to Italian media, adding that the trio had earlier warned to “detonate the property” rather than vacate the property.

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

The Defense Minister Minister Crosetto stood alongside other elected representatives in commemorating the trio of personnel who had died in the performance of their duties.