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Three members of law enforcement perished and at least 15 people got wounded in a seemingly intentional blast caused by gas at a country home in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The blast occurred as law enforcement and fire personnel went into the house near the Verona region to enforce an eviction order for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

Each of the three officers killed belonged to the Carabinieri force.

Investigation Developments

Two individuals were taken into custody at the site and a third person who ran away following the explosion was found shortly later. All three have been transported to medical facility.

The blast could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and photographs from the scene showed the structure turned into a mass of wreckage.

“This is a time for grieving,” said the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, who mentioned that attempts had been made to displace the three siblings in the previous occasions.

Property Situation

The head of the region of Veneto, President Zaia, stated the property was subject to an court order due to financial obligations incurred by the siblings.

Mediators had been dispatched to talk with the family members who had secured themselves into the property. When the police reached the location shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials suspect one of the residents triggered the explosion.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” regional commander Commander Papagno told news outlets.

A gas canister had been ignited, and the explosion immediately struck our personnel,” he explained.

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

Impact Assessment

The wounded by the blast consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the Carabinieri as well as three officers of the state police and a firefighter.

As stated by the local prosecutor, the property was in a dilapidated shape and had was without power.

The official thought the explosion had taken place on a floor above the doorway and told journalists it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Moments before the incident, he mentioned personnel had “detected a whistling noise, probably the gas cylinders being turned on”.

Local Response

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents informed local news, adding that the three had previously threatened to “blow themselves up” rather than vacate the property.

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

Defence Minister the Defence Minister joined other elected representatives in paying tribute to the trio of personnel who had died in the line of duty.