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A trio of officers lost their lives and no fewer than 15 others got wounded in what appears to be deliberate blast caused by gas at a country home in Italy's north.

Event Timeline

The detonation took place as police and firefighters entered the house near the city of Verona to carry out an removal notice for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

Each of the three victims who died were members of the Carabinieri force.

Legal Proceedings

Two individuals got detained at the scene and another man who escaped subsequent to the explosion was located soon after. All three have been admitted to medical facility.

The blast could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and footage from the area revealed the structure left as a heap of debris.

“We are in a period of mourning,” stated the Minister of the Interior the Interior Minister, who mentioned that previous tries had been made to remove the brother and sister trio in the previous occasions.

Financial Context

The head of the Veneto area, President Zaia, said the residence was under an court order due to unpaid amounts accumulated by the property owners.

Negotiators had been sent to talk with the siblings who had barricaded themselves into the home. When the police arrived shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials suspect a family member triggered the detonation.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” local police chief Commander Papagno stated to the media.

A propane tank had been ignited, and the detonation immediately struck our personnel,” he added.

Petrol bombs were also found at the residence, the interior minister confirmed.

Impact Assessment

Those injured by the blast included eleven more officers of the police force as well as three members of Italy's state police and a firefighter.

According to the Verona prosecutor, the building was in a dilapidated shape and had was without power.

He believed the detonation had taken place on a story above the entrance and stated to reporters it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Shortly before the incident, he revealed members had “noticed a hissing sound, presumably the propane tanks being activated”.

Local Response

“We all knew the situation was dire,” neighbors told reporters, mentioning that the family members had earlier warned to “blow themselves up” rather than vacate the property.

“The explosion had left a ‘terrible, very painful and dramatic toll’.”

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