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Three members of law enforcement lost their lives and more than a dozen people got wounded in a seemingly deliberate gas explosion at a country home in northern Italy.

How It Happened

The explosion took place as law enforcement and fire personnel approached the house close to the city of Verona to carry out an removal notice for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

The three victims who died served in the Carabinieri force.

Legal Proceedings

Two individuals got detained at the site and one more individual who escaped after the incident was apprehended soon after. Each of them have been admitted to medical facility.

The explosion could be heard approximately 5 kilometers away and images from the location showed the property reduced to a heap of debris.

“This is a time for grieving,” commented the Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who noted that previous tries had been made to displace the three siblings in the past.

Property Situation

The president of the Veneto region, President Zaia, said the residence was subject to an court order due to debts accrued by the property owners.

Negotiators had been assigned to speak to the brothers and sister who had secured themselves into the home. When the police arrived soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities suspect one of the residents set off the explosion.

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

“A gas cylinder had been set off, and the detonation precisely impacted our members,” he explained.

Petrol bombs were also found at the property, the interior minister said.

Impact Assessment

Injured individuals by the blast consisted of eleven more officers of the police force as well as three members of Italy's state police and a firefighter.

As stated by the prosecuting attorney, the building was in a poor condition and had was without power.

The official was convinced the explosion had happened on a level above the entrance and informed reporters it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the incident, he revealed officers had “detected a whistling noise, probably the propane tanks being activated”.

Neighbor Statements

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” local residents informed reporters, mentioning that the family members had previously threatened to “cause an explosion” rather than leave the house.

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

The Defense Minister Minister Crosetto united with other political leaders in paying tribute to the trio of personnel who had lost their lives in the service of their country.