Blast Costs 3 Police Officers While Executing Property Removal Operation in the Verona Area

Three police officers were killed and at least 15 others sustained injuries in an apparently deliberate gas explosion at a country home in northern Italy.

Event Timeline

The explosion took place as police and firefighters approached the property in the vicinity of the Verona region to execute an eviction order for a brother and sister trio in their late 50s and mid-60s.

Each of the three officers killed were members of the Carabinieri military police.

Arrests and Aftermath

One male and one female were arrested at the scene and a third person who ran away following the explosion was located soon after. The trio have been transported to hospital.

The detonation could be noticed some 5km (3 miles) away and photographs from the scene showed the structure left as a pile of rubble.

“This moment calls for sorrow,” stated the Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who mentioned that efforts had been made to displace the three siblings in the earlier times.

Property Situation

The leader of the region of Veneto, President Zaia, stated the residence was facing an court order due to financial obligations incurred by the three owners.

Mediators had been sent to talk with the family members who had secured themselves into the home. When the officers reached the location shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), investigators think one of the siblings triggered the detonation.

“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” provincial police commander the police commander stated to reporters.

“A gas cylinder had been ignited, and the blast immediately struck our officers,” he said.

Incendiary devices were also located at the site, the minister said.

Casualties and Damage

Injured individuals by the incident comprised eleven more officers of the Carabinieri as well as three officers of Italy's state police and a emergency responder.

According to the prosecuting attorney, the property was in a poor condition and had no electricity.

The prosecutor was convinced the explosion 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 revealed officers had “detected a whistling noise, presumably the propane tanks being turned on”.

Community Reaction

“Everyone was aware the circumstances were severe,” nearby inhabitants stated to Italian media, noting that the three had previously threatened to “blow themselves up” rather than leave the house.

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

The Defense Minister Minister Crosetto stood alongside other political leaders in commemorating the trio of personnel who had lost their lives in the performance of their duties.