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Three members of law enforcement lost their lives and at least 15 others were hurt in a seemingly intentional gas explosion at a farmhouse in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The blast took place as law enforcement and fire personnel approached the property close to Verona to carry out an removal notice for two brothers and a sister in their late 50s and mid-60s.

All three victims who died were members of the Carabinieri force.

Arrests and Aftermath

A man and a woman were arrested at the site and a third person who fled subsequent to the incident was found soon after. All three have been taken to medical facility.

The detonation could be noticed approximately 5 kilometers away and footage from the location displayed the property reduced to a pile of rubble.

“This is a time for grieving,” said Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who noted that efforts had been made to evict the three family members in the past.

Background and Motive

The leader of the region of Veneto, President Zaia, stated the residence was subject to an removal notice due to unpaid amounts accumulated by the three owners.

Mediators had been assigned to speak to the family members who had locked themselves into the property. When the police reached the location soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities think a family member triggered the detonation.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” provincial police commander the police commander told reporters.

A propane tank had been activated, and the blast directly hit our officers,” he explained.

Incendiary devices were also discovered at the site, the minister said.

Impact Assessment

The wounded by the incident included eleven more officers of the Carabinieri as well as three members of the state police and a fire services member.

Based on information from the Verona prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a dilapidated shape and had lacked electrical service.

The official believed the explosion had happened on a floor above the access point and informed journalists it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Shortly before the blast, he said officers had “noticed a hissing sound, likely the gas cylinders being turned on”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” neighbors told Italian media, adding that the family members had in the past stated to “cause an explosion” rather than leave the house.

“The explosion had left a ‘terrible, very painful and dramatic toll’.”

The Defense Minister Guido Crosetto united with other political leaders in paying tribute to the three men who had lost their lives in the line of duty.