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Three members of law enforcement lost their lives and at least 15 people sustained injuries in what appears to be intentional blast caused by gas at a country home in Italy's north.

Sequence of Events

The detonation was triggered as police and firefighters went into the property in the vicinity of the city of Verona to enforce an eviction order for three siblings who were older adults.

All three officers killed belonged to the Carabinieri force.

Arrests and Aftermath

A man and a woman were taken into custody at the location and a third person who escaped after the explosion was located shortly later. The trio have been taken to medical facility.

The detonation could be noticed some 5km (3 miles) away and photographs from the scene displayed the building turned into a pile of rubble.

“We are in a period of mourning,” said Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who added that attempts had been made to displace the three siblings in the earlier times.

Background and Motive

The head of the Veneto area, Luca Zaia, said the farmhouse was subject to an court order due to financial obligations accumulated by the three owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been assigned to engage the family members who had barricaded themselves into the home. When the officers arrived soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities think one of the siblings set off the detonation.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” regional commander Claudio Papagno informed news outlets.

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

Incendiary devices were also found at the property, the minister confirmed.

Injuries and Destruction

Injured individuals by the incident comprised 11 other members of the military police as well as a trio of personnel of the state police and a firefighter.

Based on information from the Verona prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a poor condition and had no electricity.

The official was convinced the explosion had occurred on a story above the entrance and told the press it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Shortly before the incident, he revealed personnel had “heard a whistle, probably the propane tanks being activated”.

Community Reaction

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” neighbors told reporters, mentioning that the three had in the past stated to “blow themselves up” rather than leave the house.

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

Minister of Defence Minister Crosetto united with other political leaders in honoring the three men who had been killed in the service of their country.