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A trio of officers were killed and at least 15 others sustained injuries in what appears to be premeditated blast caused by gas at a farmhouse in Italy's north.

Event Timeline

The explosion was triggered as police and firefighters entered the house close to Verona to enforce an eviction order for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

All three victims who died belonged to the Italian military police.

Legal Proceedings

A man and a woman were arrested at the scene and a third person who ran away subsequent to the incident was apprehended shortly later. The trio have been admitted to hospital.

The detonation could be heard some 5km (3 miles) away and footage from the area showed the building turned into a heap of debris.

“We are in a period of mourning,” commented the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, who added that previous tries had been made to remove the three siblings in the earlier times.

Background and Motive

The president of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, stated the property was facing an removal notice due to debts accumulated by the three owners.

Negotiators had been assigned to talk with the siblings who had locked themselves into the house. When the Carabinieri came just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials think a family member set off the blast.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” provincial police commander Commander Papagno stated to reporters.

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

Molotov cocktails were also located at the site, the minister stated.

Impact Assessment

Those injured by the incident consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the Carabinieri as well as three members of the state police and a fire services member.

Based on information from the local prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a poor condition and had no electricity.

He believed the explosion had happened on a floor above the entrance and informed the press it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Moments before the incident, he said personnel had “heard a whistle, likely the gas cylinders being opened”.

Local Response

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” neighbors told reporters, noting that the family members had earlier warned to “detonate the property” rather than be evicted.

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

Defence Minister the Defence Minister united with other political leaders in paying tribute to the three officers who had lost their lives in the service of their country.