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Three members of law enforcement were killed and more than a dozen people got wounded in an apparently intentional blast caused by gas at a rural property in Italy's north.

Event Timeline

The explosion occurred as police and firefighters approached the residence near the Verona region to enforce an court-ordered eviction for a brother and sister trio aged in their 50s and 60s.

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

Investigation Developments

A man and a woman were arrested at the location and a third person who escaped following the blast was found soon after. All three have been transported to hospital.

The explosion could be audible approximately 5 kilometers away and photographs from the scene showed the structure turned into a pile of rubble.

“We are in a period of mourning,” said the Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who added that previous tries had been made to evict the three siblings in the previous occasions.

Property Situation

The leader of the Veneto area, the regional head, said the property was under an court order due to unpaid amounts accumulated by the three owners.

Mediators had been assigned to engage the brothers and sister who had secured themselves into the property. When the officers reached the location just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators think one of the siblings triggered the explosion.

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

“A gas cylinder had been ignited, and the blast precisely impacted our officers,” he explained.

Molotov cocktails were also located at the property, the minister confirmed.

Injuries and Destruction

The wounded by the explosion consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the military police as well as three officers of national police and a emergency responder.

Based on information from the local prosecutor, the building was in a derelict state and had no electricity.

The official thought the explosion had happened on a story above the entrance and stated to journalists it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the incident, he revealed personnel had “noticed a hissing sound, presumably the gas cylinders being opened”.

Local Response

“We all knew the situation was dire,” neighbors informed local news, mentioning that the three had earlier warned to “cause an explosion” rather than leave the house.

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

Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto joined other elected representatives in paying tribute to the trio of personnel who had been killed in the performance of their duties.