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Three police officers were killed and no fewer than 15 others were hurt in an apparently intentional gas explosion at a country home in Italy's north.

Sequence of Events

The blast took place as law enforcement and fire personnel approached the residence near the Verona region to execute an removal notice for a brother and sister trio in their late 50s and mid-60s.

The three officers killed served in the Carabinieri military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

Two individuals were taken into custody at the site and another man who escaped subsequent to the blast was apprehended not long after. All three have been taken to hospital.

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

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

Property Situation

The leader of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, explained the residence was facing an removal notice due to debts accrued by the three owners.

Negotiators had been dispatched to engage the family members who had barricaded themselves into the home. When the police arrived just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators suspect a family member triggered the explosion.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” provincial police commander the police commander informed reporters.

A gas canister had been set off, and the detonation directly hit our members,” he said.

Petrol bombs were also found at the residence, the Interior Minister confirmed.

Injuries and Destruction

Those injured by the explosion included an additional 11 personnel of the police force as well as three officers of the state police and a firefighter.

According to the local prosecutor, the property was in a derelict state and had was without power.

The official thought the blast had occurred on a story above the entrance and told the press it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Moments before the blast, he mentioned officers had “noticed a hissing sound, likely the gas cylinders being turned on”.

Neighbor Statements

“We all knew the situation was dire,” nearby inhabitants informed local news, noting that the family members had earlier warned to “detonate the property” rather than vacate the property.

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

Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto stood alongside other political leaders in commemorating the trio of personnel who had died in the service of their country.