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A trio of officers were killed and more than a dozen people got wounded in a seemingly premeditated gas explosion at a rural property in northern Italy.

Sequence of Events

The explosion occurred as officers and emergency crews went into the house close to the Verona region to carry out an removal notice for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

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

Legal Proceedings

A man and a woman were arrested at the scene and another man who fled subsequent to the explosion was located not long after. The trio have been transported to medical facility.

The detonation could be noticed some 5km (3 miles) away and photographs from the scene revealed the property reduced to a mass of wreckage.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” said Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who noted that attempts had been made to remove the three siblings in the earlier times.

Property Situation

The leader of the Veneto area, President Zaia, said the farmhouse was facing an removal notice due to unpaid amounts incurred by the three owners.

Mediators had been assigned to talk with the siblings who had barricaded themselves into the house. When the officers came just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators suspect one of the residents caused the detonation.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” provincial police commander Claudio Papagno informed news outlets.

A gas canister had been activated, and the blast immediately struck our personnel,” he said.

Petrol bombs were also located at the site, the minister stated.

Casualties and Damage

The wounded by the blast consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the police force as well as three members of the state police and a fire services member.

As stated by the prosecuting attorney, the property was in a derelict state and had lacked electrical service.

The prosecutor believed the blast had occurred on a floor above the entrance and told journalists it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Shortly before the explosion, he revealed officers had “heard a whistle, presumably the propane tanks being turned on”.

Community Reaction

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents told reporters, mentioning that the family members had previously threatened to “detonate the property” rather than be evicted.

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

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto joined other elected representatives in commemorating the three officers who had been killed in the performance of their duties.