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Three members of law enforcement lost their lives and at least 15 additional individuals got wounded in an apparently premeditated gas explosion at a country home in Italy's north.

Sequence of Events

The explosion took place as police and firefighters approached the residence near the city of Verona to execute an removal notice for two brothers and a sister in their late 50s and mid-60s.

The three officers killed were members of the Italian military police.

Investigation Developments

A man and a woman got detained at the scene and one more individual who fled subsequent to the incident was located not long after. Each of them have been admitted to the hospital.

The blast could be noticed some 5km (3 miles) away and footage from the scene displayed the property turned into a pile of rubble.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” stated Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who noted that efforts had been made to displace the brother and sister trio in the past.

Background and Motive

The president of the region of Veneto, President Zaia, stated the residence was facing an eviction order due to debts incurred by the three owners.

Mediators had been sent to speak to the family members who had barricaded themselves into the home. When the officers arrived just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities believe one of the residents set off the explosion.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” provincial police commander Claudio Papagno told reporters.

A gas canister had been set off, and the detonation precisely impacted our members,” he added.

Incendiary devices were also discovered at the residence, the minister stated.

Casualties and Damage

Injured individuals by the blast comprised an additional 11 personnel of the Carabinieri as well as three members of national police and a emergency responder.

According to the Verona prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a dilapidated shape and had no electricity.

The prosecutor was convinced the detonation had happened on a floor above the access point and informed reporters it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Moments before the blast, he revealed personnel had “heard a whistle, probably the gas cylinders being opened”.

Neighbor Statements

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents told reporters, adding that the trio had earlier warned to “blow themselves up” rather than vacate the property.

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

The Defense Minister Minister Crosetto united with other government officials in paying tribute to the trio of personnel who had died in the performance of their duties.