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Three police officers lost their lives and at least 15 others were hurt in what appears to be premeditated detonation from gas at a rural property in the northern part of Italy.

Sequence of Events

The explosion occurred as officers and emergency crews went into the house close to Verona to carry out an eviction order for a brother and sister trio in their late 50s and mid-60s.

Each of the three officers killed served in the Italian military police.

Legal Proceedings

Two individuals were arrested at the location and another man who escaped following the incident was apprehended shortly later. The trio have been transported to hospital.

The explosion could be noticed some 5km (3 miles) away and footage from the location showed the property reduced to a pile of rubble.

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

Background and Motive

The head of the region of Veneto, the regional head, stated the residence was subject to an eviction order due to financial obligations accumulated by the siblings.

Mediators had been assigned to talk with the family members who had barricaded themselves into the home. When the police arrived soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators suspect one of the siblings set off the explosion.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” regional commander Claudio Papagno informed the media.

“A gas cylinder had been set off, and the detonation immediately struck our personnel,” he said.

Molotov cocktails were also found at the residence, the interior minister stated.

Casualties and Damage

The wounded by the explosion included 11 other members of the police force as well as a trio of personnel of Italy's state police and a firefighter.

As stated by the local prosecutor, the building was in a poor condition and had was without power.

The official was convinced the blast had occurred on a level above the doorway and told reporters it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Moments before the incident, he said officers had “detected a whistling noise, likely the propane tanks being turned on”.

Local Response

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” nearby inhabitants stated to local news, noting that the family members had in the past stated to “cause an explosion” rather than leave the house.

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

The Defense Minister the Defence Minister joined other political leaders in honoring the trio of personnel who had been killed in the service of their country.