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Three police officers were killed and no fewer than 15 people were hurt in a seemingly premeditated gas explosion at a farmhouse in northern Italy.

How It Happened

The blast was triggered as law enforcement and fire personnel approached the property near the Verona region to enforce an court-ordered eviction for two brothers and a sister who were older adults.

The three officers killed belonged to the Italian military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

Two individuals were arrested at the location and a third person who escaped following the blast was apprehended not long after. All three have been taken to the hospital.

The blast could be heard as far as 3 miles distant and footage from the scene revealed the structure reduced to a mass of wreckage.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” stated the Minister of the Interior the Interior Minister, who noted that efforts had been made to displace the three family members in the earlier times.

Property Situation

The president of the region of Veneto, the regional head, explained the residence was under an eviction order due to unpaid amounts incurred by the siblings.

Mediators had been dispatched to talk with the brothers and sister who had locked themselves into the property. When the Carabinieri came soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators think a family member triggered the blast.

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

A gas canister had been ignited, and the blast directly hit our members,” he said.

Petrol bombs were also located at the site, the interior minister said.

Injuries and Destruction

The wounded by the explosion included eleven more officers of the military police as well as three members of Italy's state police and a firefighter.

As stated by the prosecuting attorney, the property was in a dilapidated shape and had lacked electrical service.

He thought the explosion had occurred on a level above the entrance and told reporters it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the incident, he said personnel had “heard a whistle, probably the gas cylinders being turned on”.

Local Response

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents told Italian media, mentioning that the trio had in the past stated to “cause an explosion” rather than vacate the property.

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

Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto stood alongside other political leaders in commemorating the three officers who had died in the performance of their duties.