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Three police officers were killed and more than a dozen others were hurt in an apparently premeditated detonation from gas at a rural property in Italy's north.

Sequence of Events

The explosion was triggered as officers and emergency crews went into the residence in the vicinity of Verona to enforce an court-ordered eviction for a brother and sister trio who were older adults.

The three officers killed were members of the Carabinieri force.

Arrests and Aftermath

Two individuals got detained at the location and another man who fled following the blast was apprehended soon after. All three have been admitted to medical facility.

The explosion could be heard some 5km (3 miles) away and images from the area showed the building reduced to a mass of wreckage.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” said the Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, who added that efforts had been made to displace the three siblings in the past.

Property Situation

The leader of the Veneto area, the regional head, stated the farmhouse was under an removal notice due to financial obligations accrued by the three owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been assigned to talk with the family members who had locked themselves into the property. When the officers came shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials suspect one of the residents caused the explosion.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” provincial police commander Claudio Papagno told news outlets.

“A gas cylinder had been ignited, and the blast directly hit our officers,” he added.

Incendiary devices were also located at the property, the Interior Minister said.

Impact Assessment

Those injured by the blast consisted of an additional 11 personnel of the military police as well as three officers of Italy's state police and a fire services member.

According to the Verona prosecutor, the farmhouse was in a dilapidated shape and had was without power.

He believed the detonation had taken place on a level above the entrance and informed the press it was a “intentional and planned killing”. Moments before the incident, he mentioned officers had “noticed a hissing sound, presumably the propane tanks being activated”.

Neighbor Statements

“We all knew the situation was dire,” local residents informed reporters, noting that the family members had earlier warned to “blow themselves up” rather than be evicted.

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

Minister of Defence Minister Crosetto stood alongside other government officials in paying tribute to the three officers who had been killed in the service of their country.