Gas Detonation Takes 3 Police Officers Amid Property Removal Procedure in Italy

Three members of law enforcement were killed and more than a dozen others got wounded in a seemingly deliberate blast caused by gas at a rural property in northern Italy.

Sequence of Events

The detonation occurred as law enforcement and fire personnel approached the property near the Verona region to execute an eviction order for three siblings aged in their 50s and 60s.

Each of the three officers killed were members of the Carabinieri force.

Investigation Developments

A man and a woman were taken into custody at the site and another man who fled after the explosion was found not long after. Each of them have been taken to hospital.

The detonation could be audible as far as 3 miles distant and footage from the area revealed the building turned into a heap of debris.

“We are in a period of mourning,” stated Interior Minister Minister Piantedosi, who noted that efforts had been made to evict the three siblings in the past.

Property Situation

The president of the region of Veneto, President Zaia, stated the property was subject to an eviction order due to debts accumulated by the three owners.

Mediators had been sent to speak to the siblings who had secured themselves into the house. When the Carabinieri arrived shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators think one of the siblings set off the explosion.

“When we entered the property, we faced an utterly insane act,” local police chief Commander Papagno told the media.

A propane tank had been set off, and the detonation directly hit our officers,” he added.

Incendiary devices were also found at the property, the Interior Minister stated.

Impact Assessment

Those injured by the blast included 11 other members of the police force as well as three officers of the state police and a fire services member.

As stated by the prosecuting attorney, the property was in a dilapidated shape and had lacked electrical service.

He believed the explosion had taken place on a level above the doorway and stated to the press it was a “premeditated and voluntary homicide”. Just prior to the explosion, he revealed members had “detected a whistling noise, presumably the gas canisters being opened”.

Local Response

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” neighbors stated to reporters, adding that the family members had earlier warned to “cause an explosion” rather than vacate the property.

“The explosion had left a ‘terrible, very painful and dramatic toll’.”

Minister of Defence the Defence Minister joined other elected representatives in commemorating the trio of personnel who had been killed in the performance of their duties.