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Three police officers were killed and more than a dozen people sustained injuries in a seemingly intentional detonation from gas at a rural property in the northern part of Italy.

Sequence of Events

The detonation occurred as law enforcement and fire personnel approached the house in the vicinity of Verona to execute an removal notice for two brothers and a sister who were older adults.

All three victims who died served in the Carabinieri force.

Legal Proceedings

One male and one female were taken into custody at the site and one more individual who fled subsequent to the blast was located soon after. Each of them have been transported to medical facility.

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

“This moment calls for sorrow,” commented Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who noted that efforts had been made to remove the three siblings in the past.

Property Situation

The head of the region of Veneto, Luca Zaia, stated the farmhouse was facing an eviction order due to unpaid amounts accrued by the siblings.

Mediators had been dispatched to speak to the brothers and sister who had secured themselves into the property. When the officers reached the location just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities believe one of the residents triggered the blast.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” regional commander Claudio Papagno told the media.

A propane tank had been ignited, and the detonation immediately struck our personnel,” he added.

Petrol bombs were also located at the residence, the minister confirmed.

Injuries and Destruction

Those injured by the explosion comprised an additional 11 personnel of the Carabinieri as well as three officers of Italy's state police and a firefighter.

Based on information from the local prosecutor, the property was in a poor condition and had was without power.

He believed the blast had occurred on a story above the entrance and stated to the press it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Shortly before the blast, he mentioned personnel had “noticed a hissing sound, presumably the gas canisters being activated”.

Local Response

“We all knew the situation was dire,” nearby inhabitants told Italian media, mentioning that the three had earlier warned to “detonate the property” rather than vacate the property.

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

Defence Minister the Defence Minister united with other elected representatives in commemorating the trio of personnel who had died in the performance of their duties.