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Three police officers were killed and at least 15 others were hurt in an apparently deliberate blast caused by gas at a farmhouse in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The explosion occurred as police and firefighters went into the residence in the vicinity of the city of Verona to enforce an eviction order for two brothers and a sister in their late 50s and mid-60s.

All three victims who died were members of the Carabinieri military police.

Investigation Developments

A man and a woman were taken into custody at the location and another man who escaped after the incident was located soon after. Each of them have been taken to hospital.

The blast could be audible approximately 5 kilometers away and footage from the location showed the property left as a pile of rubble.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” commented Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who noted that attempts had been made to displace the three family members in the past.

Property Situation

The leader of the Veneto region, President Zaia, explained the residence was facing an eviction order due to unpaid amounts accumulated by the siblings.

Negotiators had been assigned to talk with the brothers and sister who had barricaded themselves into the property. When the police reached the location just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials believe one of the siblings triggered the detonation.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” local police chief Commander Papagno stated to the media.

A gas canister had been activated, and the explosion immediately struck our officers,” he said.

Molotov cocktails were also found at the property, the interior minister confirmed.

Casualties and Damage

Those injured by the explosion consisted of eleven more officers of the police force as well as three officers of Italy's state police and a firefighter.

According to the prosecuting attorney, the farmhouse was in a poor condition and had was without power.

He thought the explosion had occurred on a level above the doorway and stated to reporters it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Just prior to the incident, he revealed officers had “noticed a hissing sound, presumably the propane tanks being turned on”.

Community Reaction

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” nearby inhabitants informed Italian media, noting that the trio had previously threatened to “cause an explosion” rather than be evicted.

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

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto stood alongside other elected representatives in commemorating the three officers who had been killed in the line of duty.