🔗 Share this article

A trio of officers perished and no fewer than 15 additional individuals were hurt in a seemingly deliberate detonation from gas at a farmhouse in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The blast took place as police and firefighters went into the residence in the vicinity of the city of Verona to carry out an removal notice for a brother and sister trio in their late 50s and mid-60s.

Each of the three deceased individuals served in the Carabinieri military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

One male and one female were arrested at the scene and one more individual who fled following the blast was located not long after. All three have been transported to medical facility.

The detonation could be heard some 5km (3 miles) away and photographs from the area revealed the building left as a mass of wreckage.

“We are in a period of mourning,” stated Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who noted that attempts had been made to remove the brother and sister trio in the earlier times.

Financial Context

The president of the region of Veneto, President Zaia, said the residence was facing an court order due to unpaid amounts accrued by the three owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been assigned to speak to the family members who had barricaded themselves into the property. When the officers came just after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators believe one of the siblings caused the blast.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” regional commander Claudio Papagno informed reporters.

A gas canister had been ignited, and the explosion precisely impacted our officers,” he added.

Petrol bombs were also found at the property, the Interior Minister said.

Casualties and Damage

Injured individuals by the incident consisted of 11 other members of the police force as well as a trio of personnel of national police and a firefighter.

Based on information from the local prosecutor, the building was in a dilapidated shape and had was without power.

The official believed the explosion had taken place on a floor above the access point and informed the press it was a “deliberate and pre-planned murder”. Moments before the blast, he mentioned personnel had “detected a whistling noise, likely the propane tanks being turned on”.

Local Response

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents informed reporters, adding that the trio had previously threatened to “detonate the property” rather than be evicted.

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

Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto united with other elected representatives in paying tribute to the three officers who had been killed in the line of duty.