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Three police officers were killed and at least 15 others got wounded in what appears to be deliberate detonation from gas at a country home in northern Italy.

Sequence of Events

The detonation took place as police and firefighters went into the property near Verona to execute an eviction order for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

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

Investigation Developments

A man and a woman were taken into custody at the location and a third person who ran away subsequent to the explosion was found shortly later. Each of them have been taken to the hospital.

The detonation could be heard some 5km (3 miles) away and photographs from the area displayed the building reduced to a heap of debris.

“We are in a period of mourning,” said the Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who noted that efforts had been made to remove the three siblings in the earlier times.

Background and Motive

The leader of the region of Veneto, President Zaia, said the property was under an court order due to financial obligations accrued by the siblings.

Mediators had been dispatched to speak to the family members who had locked themselves into the home. When the police arrived soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials believe one of the residents triggered the blast.

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

A propane tank had been activated, and the blast immediately struck our personnel,” he explained.

Petrol bombs were also found at the property, the Interior Minister said.

Casualties and Damage

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

According to the prosecuting attorney, the farmhouse was in a derelict state and had no electricity.

He believed the detonation had happened on a story above the access point and told the press it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Shortly before the blast, he said members had “heard a whistle, likely the gas canisters being activated”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” local residents stated to local news, noting that the family members had earlier warned to “detonate the property” rather than leave the house.

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

Defence Minister Minister Crosetto stood alongside other political leaders in paying tribute to the three men who had died in the service of their country.