🔗 Share this article

A trio of officers lost their lives and at least 15 others got wounded in what appears to be intentional blast caused by gas at a farmhouse in northern Italy.

How It Happened

The blast was triggered as police and firefighters entered the house near the city of Verona to enforce an court-ordered eviction for a brother and sister trio aged in their 50s and 60s.

Each of the three officers killed served in the Carabinieri military police.

Legal Proceedings

A man and a woman got detained at the scene and a third person who escaped subsequent to the explosion was apprehended not long after. Each of them have been transported to the hospital.

The explosion could be heard some 5km (3 miles) away and images from the scene showed the property turned into a pile of rubble.

“This is a time for grieving,” said the Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who added that attempts had been made to evict the brother and sister trio in the past.

Financial Context

The leader of the Veneto area, President Zaia, stated the property was subject to an eviction order due to debts accumulated by the three owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been sent to engage the family members who had locked themselves into the home. When the officers came just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials believe one of the siblings triggered the blast.

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

A propane tank had been set off, and the detonation directly hit our personnel,” he added.

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

Casualties and Damage

The wounded by the blast included an additional 11 personnel of the police force as well as three officers of Italy's state police and a fire services member.

According to the Verona prosecutor, the building was in a dilapidated shape and had no electricity.

The official was convinced the explosion had occurred on a floor above the doorway and told reporters it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Just prior to the blast, he said members had “noticed a hissing sound, likely the propane tanks being activated”.

Community Reaction

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

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

Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto united with other government officials in commemorating the three officers who had lost their lives in the line of duty.