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Three members of law enforcement perished and more than a dozen others sustained injuries in an apparently deliberate gas explosion at a rural property in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The detonation was triggered as police and firefighters approached the property in the vicinity of the Verona region to carry out an removal notice for two brothers and a sister in their late 50s and mid-60s.

Each of the three deceased individuals were members of the Italian military police.

Legal Proceedings

One male and one female got detained at the scene and another man who escaped after the blast was located soon after. Each of them have been transported to the hospital.

The explosion could be heard some 5km (3 miles) away and images from the location revealed the building left as a heap of debris.

“This is a time for grieving,” said the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, who noted that attempts had been made to remove the three siblings in the past.

Financial Context

The head of the region of Veneto, President Zaia, explained the residence was facing an removal notice due to financial obligations accumulated by the property owners.

Negotiators had been assigned to talk with the family members who had secured themselves into the property. When the Carabinieri reached the location shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators think a family member triggered the blast.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” regional commander Commander Papagno stated to the media.

“A gas cylinder had been ignited, and the explosion directly hit our personnel,” he added.

Petrol bombs were also discovered at the residence, the Interior Minister said.

Casualties and Damage

The wounded by the incident consisted of 11 other members of the Carabinieri as well as a trio of personnel of the state police and a firefighter.

As stated by the prosecuting attorney, the farmhouse was in a derelict state and had no electricity.

The official thought the blast had happened on a level above the entrance and told journalists it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Shortly before the explosion, he said personnel had “detected a whistling noise, probably the propane tanks being opened”.

Neighbor Statements

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents informed local news, noting that the family members had earlier warned to “blow themselves up” rather than vacate the property.

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

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto stood alongside other government officials in paying tribute to the trio of personnel who had been killed in the line of duty.