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A trio of officers lost their lives and no fewer than 15 others sustained injuries in what appears to be intentional detonation from gas at a farmhouse in Italy's north.

Sequence of Events

The detonation took place as law enforcement and fire personnel approached the property in the vicinity of Verona to execute an removal notice for three siblings in their late 50s and mid-60s.

Each of the three officers killed belonged to the Carabinieri military police.

Investigation Developments

One male and one female were arrested at the scene and another man who escaped after the explosion was found shortly later. Each of them have been transported to medical facility.

The blast could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and photographs from the location showed the building reduced to a mass of wreckage.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” stated the Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who mentioned that attempts had been made to displace the three siblings in the past.

Background and Motive

The president of the region of Veneto, President Zaia, said the farmhouse was facing an eviction order due to debts accumulated by the property owners.

Mediators had been dispatched to talk with the brothers and sister who had locked themselves into the house. When the police arrived just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities suspect a family member set off the explosion.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” local police chief the police commander informed news outlets.

“A gas cylinder had been set off, and the explosion directly hit our members,” he added.

Incendiary devices were also discovered at the site, the Interior Minister stated.

Impact Assessment

The wounded by the explosion comprised eleven more officers of the military police as well as three members of Italy's state police and a fire services member.

As stated by the prosecuting attorney, the building was in a poor condition and had was without power.

He thought the explosion had taken place on a story above the entrance and told journalists it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Just prior to the incident, he mentioned personnel had “detected a whistling noise, probably the propane tanks being turned on”.

Community Reaction

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” nearby inhabitants stated to reporters, adding that the family members had in the past stated to “cause an explosion” rather than be evicted.

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

The Defense Minister Minister Crosetto stood alongside other government officials in honoring the three men who had lost their lives in the line of duty.