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Three police officers were killed and more than a dozen people got wounded in a seemingly premeditated gas explosion at a rural property in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The explosion occurred as officers and emergency crews went into the property in the vicinity of the city of Verona to execute an eviction order for three siblings who were older adults.

Each of the three officers killed were members of the Carabinieri force.

Legal Proceedings

Two individuals were arrested at the location and a third person who fled following the incident was apprehended shortly later. All three have been admitted to medical facility.

The explosion could be audible as far as 3 miles distant and photographs from the scene displayed the property turned into a mass of wreckage.

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

Property Situation

The president of the Veneto region, President Zaia, said the farmhouse was subject to an removal notice due to unpaid amounts accumulated by the property owners.

Mediators had been assigned to talk with the brothers and sister who had locked themselves into the house. When the Carabinieri came shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities think one of the residents triggered the detonation.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” provincial police commander the police commander told the media.

A propane tank had been set off, and the blast immediately struck our personnel,” he said.

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

Impact Assessment

Injured individuals by the blast consisted of eleven more officers of the Carabinieri as well as a trio of personnel of Italy's state police and a fire services member.

According to the prosecuting attorney, the property was in a dilapidated shape and had was without power.

The prosecutor was convinced the blast had taken place on a floor above the entrance and informed journalists it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Moments before the incident, he revealed personnel had “detected a whistling noise, probably the gas canisters being activated”.

Community Reaction

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” neighbors told reporters, noting that the trio had in the past stated to “cause an explosion” rather than be evicted.

“The incident exacted a ‘dreadful, extremely sad and dramatic price’.”

Defence Minister Minister Crosetto united with other government officials in commemorating the trio of personnel who had died in the line of duty.