🔗 Share this article

Three police officers were killed and more than a dozen additional individuals were hurt in an apparently premeditated gas explosion at a farmhouse in northern Italy.

How It Happened

The blast occurred as police and firefighters went into the residence close to the city of Verona to carry out an eviction order for two brothers and a sister in their late 50s and mid-60s.

The three victims who died belonged to the Italian military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

Two individuals were taken into custody at the site and another man who fled after the explosion was apprehended shortly later. Each of them have been taken to the hospital.

The blast could be noticed some 5km (3 miles) away and images from the location displayed the building left as a mass of wreckage.

“This is a time for grieving,” said the Interior Minister the Interior Minister, who added that previous tries had been made to evict the three family members in the previous occasions.

Background and Motive

The leader of the Veneto region, the regional head, explained the farmhouse was under an court order due to unpaid amounts accumulated by the property owners.

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

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

A gas canister had been activated, and the detonation directly hit our officers,” he added.

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

Casualties and Damage

Injured individuals by the explosion included an additional 11 personnel of the Carabinieri as well as three officers of the state police and a emergency responder.

As stated by the Verona prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a dilapidated shape and had no electricity.

The official thought the blast had occurred on a level above the doorway and informed the press it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the explosion, he revealed officers had “heard a whistle, likely the gas cylinders being turned on”.

Neighbor Statements

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” nearby inhabitants stated to local news, noting that the trio had earlier warned to “cause an explosion” rather than vacate the property.

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

Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto joined other political leaders in commemorating the trio of personnel who had been killed in the performance of their duties.