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Three police officers were killed and no fewer than 15 others sustained injuries in a seemingly premeditated gas explosion at a farmhouse in Italy's north.

Event Timeline

The blast occurred as police and firefighters approached the house near the city of Verona to enforce an court-ordered eviction for two brothers and a sister in their late 50s and mid-60s.

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

Legal Proceedings

A man and a woman were arrested at the site and a third person who fled following the blast was located not long after. The trio have been admitted to the hospital.

The detonation could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and images from the scene revealed the building left as a heap of debris.

“We are in a period of mourning,” stated the Minister of the Interior the Interior Minister, who noted that attempts had been made to remove the three siblings in the earlier times.

Property Situation

The president of the Veneto area, President Zaia, stated the residence was under an removal notice due to debts accrued by the siblings.

Negotiators had been dispatched to talk with the siblings who had barricaded themselves into the home. When the police reached the location soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), authorities suspect one of the siblings caused the blast.

“As we went inside, we encountered a completely deranged action,” local police chief Claudio Papagno told reporters.

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

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

Injuries and Destruction

Those injured by the blast included an additional 11 personnel of the military police as well as three officers of the state police and a emergency responder.

As stated by the local prosecutor, the property was in a derelict state and had was without power.

The prosecutor was convinced the explosion had happened on a story above the doorway and informed reporters it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Moments before the blast, he mentioned members had “detected a whistling noise, likely the gas cylinders being activated”.

Neighbor Statements

“All of us understood the scenario was critical,” nearby inhabitants stated to local news, noting that the three had in the past stated to “blow themselves up” rather than leave the house.

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

The Defense Minister Guido Crosetto joined other political leaders in paying tribute to the three men who had been killed in the performance of their duties.