🔗 Share this article

Three members of law enforcement lost their lives and more than a dozen people were hurt in what appears to be deliberate detonation from gas at a country home in northern Italy.

How It Happened

The explosion occurred as police and firefighters entered the residence near the city of Verona to enforce an eviction order for three siblings in their late 50s and mid-60s.

All three officers killed belonged to the Carabinieri military police.

Legal Proceedings

A man and a woman were arrested at the scene and another man who fled after the explosion was located not long after. All three have been admitted to hospital.

The blast could be heard some 5km (3 miles) away and images from the location displayed the property left as a heap of debris.

“This is a time for grieving,” commented the Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who mentioned that previous tries had been made to displace the brother and sister trio in the previous occasions.

Financial Context

The head of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, explained the residence was under an court order due to financial obligations accrued by the property owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been dispatched to speak to the brothers and sister who had locked themselves into the home. When the Carabinieri arrived soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials think one of the siblings set off the detonation.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” local police chief Commander Papagno told reporters.

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

Molotov cocktails were also located at the site, the Interior Minister stated.

Injuries and Destruction

Injured individuals by the blast consisted of 11 other members of the military police as well as a trio of personnel of the state police and a fire services member.

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

He believed the detonation had occurred on a floor above the entrance and informed reporters it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Just prior to the blast, he said officers had “noticed a hissing sound, presumably the gas canisters being opened”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” neighbors told local news, adding that the family members had previously threatened to “cause an explosion” rather than leave the house.

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

Defence Minister Minister Crosetto united with other elected representatives in paying tribute to the three officers who had lost their lives in the service of their country.