🔗 Share this article

A trio of officers perished and more than a dozen others sustained injuries in an apparently deliberate blast caused by gas at a country home in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The detonation took place as officers and emergency crews approached the property in the vicinity of the Verona region to enforce an court-ordered eviction for three siblings who were older adults.

All three victims who died served in the Carabinieri military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

Two individuals were taken into custody at the scene and a third person who ran away following the incident was found shortly later. The trio have been taken to medical facility.

The detonation could be audible approximately 5 kilometers away and images from the scene showed the property reduced to a heap of debris.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” commented Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who mentioned that attempts had been made to evict the brother and sister trio in the previous occasions.

Property Situation

The head of the Veneto region, President Zaia, said the farmhouse was facing an eviction order due to debts incurred by the three owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been assigned to talk with the siblings who had locked themselves into the property. When the Carabinieri reached the location shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators think a family member caused the explosion.

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

“A gas cylinder had been set off, and the explosion precisely impacted our personnel,” he explained.

Incendiary devices were also found at the residence, the Interior Minister said.

Casualties and Damage

The wounded by the blast included 11 other members of the military police as well as a trio of personnel of the state police and a fire services member.

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

The prosecutor believed the detonation had taken place on a level above the access point and informed reporters it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the incident, he mentioned personnel had “noticed a hissing sound, probably the gas canisters being activated”.

Community Reaction

“We all knew the situation was dire,” neighbors informed local news, noting that the three had previously threatened to “blow themselves up” rather than vacate the property.

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

Defence Minister Minister Crosetto united with other elected representatives in paying tribute to the trio of personnel who had lost their lives in the performance of their duties.