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Three police officers lost their lives and more than a dozen additional individuals were hurt in an apparently intentional detonation from gas at a farmhouse in the northern part of Italy.

Sequence of Events

The explosion took place as police and firefighters went into the residence close to Verona to enforce an eviction order for three siblings who were older adults.

Each of the three officers killed belonged to the Carabinieri force.

Investigation Developments

One male and one female were taken into custody at the location and one more individual who ran away subsequent to the incident was found not long after. The trio have been transported to the hospital.

The blast could be heard some 5km (3 miles) away and footage from the area displayed the structure reduced to a heap of debris.

“This is a time for grieving,” commented Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who added that attempts had been made to displace the three siblings in the earlier times.

Property Situation

The head of the region of Veneto, Luca Zaia, explained the property was subject to an removal notice due to debts incurred by the property owners.

Mediators had been sent to talk with the family members who had secured themselves into the home. When the Carabinieri came soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials believe a family member caused the explosion.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” local police chief Claudio Papagno stated to news outlets.

A gas canister had been activated, and the explosion precisely impacted our members,” he said.

Molotov cocktails were also located at the site, the minister said.

Injuries and Destruction

The wounded by the blast comprised 11 other members of the police force as well as a trio of personnel of national police and a emergency responder.

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

The official was convinced the detonation had taken place on a story above the doorway and stated to the press it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Just prior to the incident, he mentioned members had “noticed a hissing sound, likely the gas cylinders being turned on”.

Neighbor Statements

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” nearby inhabitants stated to Italian media, noting that the three had in the past stated to “cause an explosion” rather than be evicted.

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

Defence Minister Minister Crosetto joined other government officials in honoring the three men who had lost their lives in the line of duty.