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Three members of law enforcement perished and at least 15 others sustained injuries in what appears to be deliberate blast caused by gas at a rural property in Italy's north.

How It Happened

The explosion took place as police and firefighters entered the property in the vicinity of Verona to execute an removal notice for two brothers and a sister who were older adults.

Each of the three deceased individuals belonged to the Italian military police.

Legal Proceedings

One male and one female were arrested at the location and a third person who fled after the explosion was apprehended shortly later. All three have been taken to hospital.

The explosion could be heard some 5km (3 miles) away and footage from the scene displayed the property turned into a pile of rubble.

“This is a time for grieving,” stated the Minister of the Interior Minister Piantedosi, who added that attempts had been made to evict the brother and sister trio in the previous occasions.

Financial Context

The president of the Veneto area, the regional head, said the property was under an removal notice due to unpaid amounts incurred by the three owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been sent to talk with the family members who had locked themselves into the property. When the officers reached the location soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators think one of the siblings triggered the explosion.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” local police chief Commander Papagno informed the media.

“A gas cylinder had been activated, and the blast precisely impacted our personnel,” he said.

Petrol bombs were also discovered at the property, the interior minister confirmed.

Injuries and Destruction

Injured individuals by the blast consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the police force as well as three members of national police and a firefighter.

Based on information from the prosecuting attorney, the building was in a derelict state and had was without power.

The prosecutor believed the explosion had taken place on a floor above the access point and informed reporters it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Shortly before the blast, he said officers had “detected a whistling noise, likely the gas canisters being opened”.

Community Reaction

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” local residents informed reporters, adding that the trio had in the past stated to “detonate the property” rather than vacate the property.

“The explosion had left a ‘terrible, very painful and dramatic toll’.”

The Defense Minister Minister Crosetto joined other government officials in paying tribute to the three men who had been killed in the line of duty.