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Three police officers lost their lives and at least 15 others were hurt in what appears to be premeditated gas explosion at a country home in Italy's north.

Sequence of Events

The explosion took place as officers and emergency crews entered the house close to Verona to enforce an removal notice for a brother and sister trio aged in their 50s and 60s.

The three officers killed served in the Carabinieri force.

Investigation Developments

A man and a woman got detained at the site and one more individual who ran away following the blast was located soon after. Each of them have been transported to medical facility.

The detonation could be audible some 5km (3 miles) away and footage from the location showed the property left as a heap of debris.

“This is a time for grieving,” said the Minister of the Interior the Interior Minister, who mentioned that previous tries had been made to remove the brother and sister trio in the previous occasions.

Property Situation

The president of the region of Veneto, the regional head, explained the property was facing an court order due to unpaid amounts accrued by the three owners.

Conflict resolution experts had been dispatched to speak to the siblings who had locked themselves into the property. When the Carabinieri arrived soon after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials think one of the residents set off the explosion.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” regional commander the police commander told news outlets.

A propane tank had been ignited, and the explosion immediately struck our personnel,” he said.

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

Injuries and Destruction

Injured individuals by the blast comprised 11 other members of the Carabinieri as well as three members of Italy's state police and a fire services member.

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

The official believed the explosion had happened on a story above the access point and stated to the press it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Shortly before the incident, he mentioned members had “noticed a hissing sound, presumably the gas canisters being turned on”.

Local Response

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” local residents stated to reporters, adding that the family members had previously threatened to “detonate the property” rather than vacate the property.

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

Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto united with other political leaders in commemorating the three men who had lost their lives in the service of their country.