🔗 Share this article Gas Detonation Claims 3 Police Officers While Executing Eviction Operation in Northern Italy All three deceased officers served the military police A trio of officers were killed and more than a dozen additional individuals sustained injuries in an apparently deliberate blast caused by gas at a rural property in Italy's north. Sequence of Events The detonation occurred as law enforcement and fire personnel approached the property close to Verona to carry out an court-ordered eviction for two brothers and a sister in their late 50s and mid-60s. Each of the three victims who died served in the Carabinieri force. Legal Proceedings A man and a woman were taken into custody at the scene and one more individual who escaped subsequent to the incident was found shortly later. All three have been admitted to hospital. The detonation could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and footage from the area revealed the property left as a heap of debris. “This is a time for grieving,” said the Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who added that attempts had been made to displace the brother and sister trio in the past. Property Situation The leader of the region of Veneto, the regional head, stated the property was under an removal notice due to financial obligations incurred by the siblings. Conflict resolution experts had been dispatched to talk with the brothers and sister who had secured themselves into the house. When the Carabinieri reached the location just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators suspect one of the siblings triggered the blast. “Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” local police chief Claudio Papagno stated to the media. A gas canister had been activated, and the explosion directly hit our officers,” he said. Molotov cocktails were also found at the site, the interior minister stated. Injuries and Destruction Those injured by the incident comprised an additional 11 personnel of the Carabinieri as well as three members of national police and a fire services member. As stated by the local prosecutor, the property was in a poor condition and had no electricity. The prosecutor was convinced the blast had happened on a floor above the access point and told the press it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the blast, he mentioned officers had “detected a whistling noise, likely the propane tanks being turned on”. Community Reaction “We all knew the situation was dire,” nearby inhabitants stated to Italian media, adding that the family members had previously threatened to “cause an explosion” rather than leave the house. “The incident exacted a ‘dreadful, extremely sad and dramatic price’.” Defence Minister Minister Crosetto stood alongside other government officials in honoring the three officers who had been killed in the service of their country.