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Three police officers were killed and no fewer than 15 others got wounded in a seemingly premeditated detonation from gas at a rural property in Italy's north.

How It Happened

The detonation occurred as law enforcement and fire personnel approached the residence near the city of Verona to execute an eviction order for two brothers and a sister aged in their 50s and 60s.

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

Arrests and Aftermath

Two individuals got detained at the location and a third person who escaped following the blast was found not long after. Each of them have been transported to the hospital.

The detonation could be heard as far as 3 miles distant and photographs from the scene displayed the structure turned into a pile of rubble.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” commented the Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who noted that previous tries had been made to displace the three family members in the earlier times.

Background and Motive

The leader of the Veneto area, the regional head, said the property was facing an removal notice due to debts accumulated by the property owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been assigned to talk with the brothers and sister who had secured themselves into the property. When the officers arrived just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators think one of the siblings set off the detonation.

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

A propane tank had been ignited, and the explosion directly hit our officers,” he added.

Petrol bombs were also found at the property, the interior minister stated.

Casualties and Damage

The wounded by the explosion consisted of 11 other members of the police force as well as a trio of personnel of the state police and a fire services member.

According to the local prosecutor, the building was in a poor condition and had no electricity.

The official believed the explosion had occurred on a level above the entrance and informed reporters it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Moments before the incident, he mentioned officers had “noticed a hissing sound, probably the propane tanks being opened”.

Community Reaction

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” nearby inhabitants told Italian media, adding that the three had earlier warned to “blow themselves up” rather than vacate the property.

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

Defence Minister the Defence Minister stood alongside other elected representatives in honoring the three officers who had died in the service of their country.