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A trio of officers perished and more than a dozen additional individuals sustained injuries in a seemingly deliberate gas explosion at a country home in Italy's north.

Sequence of Events

The detonation occurred as police and firefighters entered the house near the city of Verona to enforce an eviction order for a brother and sister trio who were older adults.

The three victims who died served in the Carabinieri military police.

Investigation Developments

Two individuals were taken into custody at the location and one more individual who ran away subsequent to the incident was found soon after. The trio have been taken to the hospital.

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

“This moment calls for sorrow,” said the Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who noted that attempts had been made to evict the three family members in the previous occasions.

Property Situation

The president of the Veneto area, the regional head, stated the property was facing an eviction order due to unpaid amounts incurred by the siblings.

Negotiators had been sent to engage the siblings who had barricaded themselves into the property. When the officers reached the location shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials believe one of the residents triggered the detonation.

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

“A gas cylinder had been ignited, and the explosion precisely impacted our officers,” he added.

Incendiary devices were also located at the site, the Interior Minister confirmed.

Casualties and Damage

Injured individuals by the explosion consisted of 11 other members of the Carabinieri as well as a trio of personnel of the state police and a firefighter.

According to the local prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a derelict state and had lacked electrical service.

The official believed the blast had happened on a floor above the access point and stated to the press it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the incident, he revealed members had “noticed a hissing sound, likely the gas cylinders being activated”.

Local Response

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” nearby inhabitants stated to Italian media, noting that the trio had in the past stated to “detonate the property” rather than be evicted.

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

The Defense Minister the Defence Minister joined other elected representatives in honoring the three officers who had died in the performance of their duties.