Three police officers die in explosion during eviction operation in Italy

Three police officers were killed and 12 injured on Tuesday (14) when a house exploded during an eviction operation in northern Italy, firefighters and local authorities said.

The incident took place on a farm in Castel d'Azzano, south of Verona, and was reportedly caused by the three occupants of the property, three brothers, farmers and ranchers in their late 60s, who are facing financial difficulties.

In a previous eviction attempt, they had already threatened to blow up the house, according to the Italian news agency Ansa.

"Upon entering the house, we were faced with an act of absolute madness: they set fire to a gas cylinder and the explosion directly hit our officers," Verona provincial police commander Claudio Papagno told Ansa.

“It was a building that had been abandoned for several months, and its occupants were barricaded in,” he explained.

Papagno said security forces were trying to gather evidence at the site of the explosion, but stressed that their hypothesis points to “an intentional act.”

Firefighters reported that the bodies of the three police officers were recovered from the rubble after the explosion at the residence, which caused the building to collapse.

Twelve police officers were injured and seven firefighters were hospitalized.

The occupants of the property, two men and their sister, were arrested, Veneto President Luca Zaia said on Facebook.

“According to initial investigations, it appears that the farm was subject to an eviction order due to debts incurred by the three owners,” he added.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto highlighted in a statement his “immense pain over the tragic death” of the three police officers and expressed condolences and unconditional support to the victims.

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