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Three police officers perished and more than a dozen others got wounded in an apparently intentional detonation from gas at a farmhouse in Italy's north.

Sequence of Events

The detonation was triggered as officers and emergency crews approached the house near Verona to execute an court-ordered eviction for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

All three officers killed belonged to the Carabinieri force.

Legal Proceedings

Two individuals were arrested at the location and another man who ran away following the incident was apprehended soon after. All three have been transported to hospital.

The detonation could be heard approximately 5 kilometers away and images from the scene revealed the structure turned into a pile of rubble.

“This is a time for grieving,” stated the Minister of the Interior Minister Piantedosi, who mentioned that previous tries had been made to displace the three siblings in the earlier times.

Property Situation

The president of the Veneto region, President Zaia, explained the farmhouse was facing an removal notice due to unpaid amounts accumulated by the three owners.

Mediators had been sent to engage the siblings who had locked themselves into the home. When the officers came soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials believe one of the residents triggered the blast.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” regional commander Claudio Papagno stated to the media.

A propane tank had been activated, and the detonation precisely impacted our personnel,” he explained.

Molotov cocktails were also located at the residence, the minister confirmed.

Impact Assessment

Injured individuals by the incident included 11 other members of the Carabinieri as well as a trio of personnel of Italy's state police and a fire services member.

As stated by the prosecuting attorney, the farmhouse was in a poor condition and had lacked electrical service.

He was convinced the blast had happened on a story above the doorway and told journalists it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the explosion, he revealed members had “heard a whistle, presumably the gas cylinders being activated”.

Local Response

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” nearby inhabitants stated to local news, noting that the three had in the past stated to “detonate the property” rather than vacate the property.

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

The Defense Minister Guido Crosetto united with other political leaders in paying tribute to the three officers who had died in the performance of their duties.