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Three police officers were killed and more than a dozen additional individuals sustained injuries in what appears to be deliberate gas explosion at a rural property in northern Italy.

Sequence of Events

The detonation took place as police and firefighters went into the residence close to the Verona region to execute an court-ordered eviction for a brother and sister trio who were older adults.

All three deceased individuals belonged to the Carabinieri military police.

Legal Proceedings

Two individuals got detained at the location and a third person who escaped following the blast was located not long after. The trio have been taken to medical facility.

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

“This moment calls for sorrow,” stated the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, who noted that attempts had been made to evict the three family members in the past.

Property Situation

The head of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, explained the residence was facing an eviction order due to unpaid amounts incurred by the siblings.

Conflict resolution experts had been dispatched to speak to the brothers and sister who had secured themselves into the property. When the police reached the location just 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 the media.

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

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

Casualties and Damage

The wounded by the incident included an additional 11 personnel of the military police as well as a trio of personnel of Italy's state police and a emergency responder.

Based on information from the local prosecutor, the building was in a dilapidated shape and had no electricity.

He thought the blast had taken place on a story above the entrance and told the press it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Moments before the explosion, he revealed personnel had “heard a whistle, presumably the gas canisters being activated”.

Neighbor Statements

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents stated to local news, noting that the three had in the past stated to “blow themselves up” rather than leave the house.

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

Minister of Defence the Defence Minister joined other government officials in honoring the three men who had died in the performance of their duties.