Three police officers were killed and a dozen people were injured in Italy after an apparently deliberate gas explosion brought down a house during an attempted eviction, officials said Tuesday.
Police arrested three people, siblings in their 60s who were the targets of the eviction, following the overnight blast in Castel d’Azzano, near Verona in northern Italy.
“Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness,” provincial police commander Claudio Papagno told the ANSA news agency.
“A gas cylinder had been ignited, and the explosion directly hit our officers,” he said.
An investigation was under way, the officer said, adding that it appeared to be “an intentional act”.
“It was a building that had been abandoned for several months, and the occupants had essentially barricaded themselves inside,” he said.
The siblings had previously threatened to blow themselves up, according to ANSA.
Papagno confirmed the arrest of two people. A short while later, head of the Veneto region Luca Zaia posted on social media that the third occupant of the house had also been detained.
“Franco Ramponi, 65, fled after the explosion,” but was found in a nearby field. “The two siblings, Maria and Dino, were arrested immediately after the explosion and assisted by paramedics,” Zaia wrote.
“From initial investigations, it appears the farmhouse was subject to an eviction order due to debts accrued by the three owners.”
Twelve law enforcement officers and a civilian woman were injured, firefighters said on X.
Zaia said three people were very seriously injured, but police said none of them were in a life-threatening condition.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni led tributes to the victims and said she was following developments.
ar/ams/cc
© Agence France-Presse
