Explosion at a house in Italy kills three police officers near Verona who were trying to serve an eviction order

Rome — Three Italian police officers were killed early Tuesday and more than a dozen injured when an explosion ripped through a farm near the northern city of Verona as officers tried to serve an eviction order, officials said.

The explosion leveled the two-story house in the town of Castel d’Azzano, about six miles southwest of Verona. Authorities say it was deliberately provoked by residents who refused to leave the property.

The officers “were hit by the intentional explosion of a gas tank,” said Col. Claudio Pagano, commander of the Verona Carabinieri police. “It was an absolutely senseless act.”

The farmhouse exploded shortly after dawn when a team of carabinieri and other law enforcement officers entered the property, which had been illegally occupied for more than a year. According to Italian state broadcaster RAI and Sky TG24, investigators believe the building was deliberately filled with gas, which was ignited when officers opened the front door.

Firefighters said the explosion could be heard for several kilometers and caused the structure to collapse almost instantly. Rescuers pulled some victims from the rubble as flames engulfed the scene.

Authorities arrested a brother and sister in their 60s, identified by local media as Dino and María Luisa Ramponi, who had been living illegally in the house. A third brother initially fled the scene but was later detained, according to Sky TG24.

Prosecutors say the brothers had resisted previous eviction attempts, including one last year when they allegedly threatened to blow up the property if police entered. Investigators discovered multiple gas canisters inside the home and are treating the case as suspected premeditated murder.

“The act appears to have been planned in advance,” said Verona prosecutor Raffaele Tito. “When the officers opened the door, the house exploded.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the deaths “a tragedy that hits the entire nation” and expressed her condolences to the families of the victims.

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto called it “a barbaric act against those who bravely serve the State.”

The Verona prosecutor’s office has opened a criminal investigation.

In:

• Italy
• police officers
• Murder
• Fire
• Burst