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Three members of law enforcement lost their lives and more than a dozen additional individuals were hurt in what appears to be deliberate detonation from gas at a farmhouse in the northern part of Italy.

Event Timeline

The explosion took place as police and firefighters entered the residence close to the city of Verona to execute an court-ordered eviction for two brothers and a sister in their late 50s and mid-60s.

The three deceased individuals served in the Carabinieri force.

Legal Proceedings

Two individuals were taken into custody at the scene and another man who fled following the blast was located soon after. Each of them have been taken to the hospital.

The explosion could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and photographs from the location revealed the property left as a pile of rubble.

“We are in a period of mourning,” stated the Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who mentioned that efforts had been made to displace the three siblings in the previous occasions.

Background and Motive

The president of the region of Veneto, President Zaia, stated the farmhouse was subject to an removal notice due to financial obligations incurred by the siblings.

Negotiators had been dispatched to speak to the family members who had barricaded themselves into the property. When the officers came soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities believe one of the residents triggered the explosion.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” provincial police commander Commander Papagno stated to the media.

A gas canister had been activated, and the explosion directly hit our officers,” he said.

Incendiary devices were also discovered at the property, the interior minister said.

Injuries and Destruction

Injured individuals by the incident included an additional 11 personnel of the police force as well as a trio of personnel of the state police and a firefighter.

According to the local prosecutor, the property was in a derelict state and had was without power.

The official believed the blast had occurred on a story above the entrance and stated to the press it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the incident, he said personnel had “noticed a hissing sound, presumably the gas canisters being activated”.

Neighbor Statements

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” local residents informed Italian media, noting that the trio had previously threatened to “detonate the property” rather than vacate the property.

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

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto joined other political leaders in paying tribute to the three men who had been killed in the line of duty.