Italy: Three police officers killed in house explosion

Verona: Three police officers were killed on Tuesday when a house exploded during a forced eviction in Castel D'Azzano, a town near Verona in northern Italy, officials said.

The blast occurred as officers tried to enter the two-storey building, which collapsed and buried them under the debris.

At least 15 other police officers and firefighters were injured. The evacuation had been planned for several days after the occupants refused to leave the property, according to Italian media.

Initial investigations suggest one of the residents triggered the explosion.

Two of the residents — a 60-year-old man and the woman, who is suspected of having triggered the explosion — were pulled from the rubble and taken to the hospital with burns. A third brother was arrested hours later in a nearby field without resistance.

Local reports said the family, who worked in farming and cattle breeding, had long been in financial and mortgage trouble and had previously threatened to detonate gas cylinders during eviction attempts.

Deputy Mayor Antonello Panuccio told Italy's Rainews that "the three siblings had stored gas cylinders for some time" and had threatened to blow the house up. The explosion occurred at about 3:15 a.m. local time as officers opened the door.

Emergency teams continued searching the rubble of the almost completely destroyed house into the morning. The victims were members of the Carabinieri, Italy's national gendarmarie.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed "deep sorrow for the tragic death of three Carabinieri and the others injured," adding that she had conveyed condolences to the Carabinieri’s commander and “to all police and firefighters who serve the state every day with dedication and courage."