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Three police officers perished and more than a dozen others were hurt in what appears to be premeditated gas explosion at a farmhouse in Italy's north.

How It Happened

The blast occurred as law enforcement and fire personnel entered the property near Verona to enforce an court-ordered eviction for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

All three officers killed were members of the Carabinieri force.

Legal Proceedings

A man and a woman were taken into custody at the scene and another man who escaped subsequent to the incident was located soon after. The trio have been admitted to the hospital.

The blast could be noticed as far as 3 miles distant and photographs from the location showed the structure turned into a mass of wreckage.

“We are in a period of mourning,” said Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who added that previous tries had been made to evict the three family members in the previous occasions.

Property Situation

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

Conflict resolution experts had been dispatched to talk with the brothers and sister who had locked themselves into the house. When the officers reached the location soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators believe one of the residents caused the explosion.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” provincial police commander the police commander informed the media.

A gas canister had been set off, and the detonation precisely impacted our members,” he said.

Petrol bombs were also found at the property, the interior minister stated.

Injuries and Destruction

The wounded by the explosion included eleven more officers of the police force as well as three officers of the state police and a emergency responder.

As stated by the prosecuting attorney, the property was in a derelict state and had no electricity.

The prosecutor thought the blast had taken place on a level above the entrance and told reporters it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Shortly before the incident, he said members had “detected a whistling noise, presumably the gas cylinders being turned on”.

Neighbor Statements

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” nearby inhabitants informed reporters, noting that the trio had earlier warned to “detonate the property” rather than vacate the property.

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

The Defense Minister the Defence Minister stood alongside other political leaders in honoring the trio of personnel who had been killed in the service of their country.