Castel d'azzano: A large-scale operation to enforce the eviction of a farmhouse in the small northern Italian town of Castel d'Azzano, near Verona, ended in tragedy when an explosion killed three officers from the Carabinieri police. Italy's fire service said in a X post on Tuesday that 12 police officers and one woman were injured in the overnight blast, and seven firefighters were taken to hospital for checks.
According to Ghana News Agency, investigators believe the blast, which caused the home to collapse, was deliberately triggered by the residents, three elderly siblings. The public prosecutor's office revealed that six gas cylinders were hidden in the two-storey building and could be detonated at any time. It is suspected that a 59-year-old woman ignited the gas with a Molotov cocktail. The woman lived in the house with her 63- and 65-year-old brothers and was also injured. All three suspects have been arrested, and the public prosecutor's office in Verona is now investigating for premeditated murder.
The explosion almost completely destroyed the house, and flames continued to burn in the ruins for hours after the overnight operation. The siblings, who worked in agriculture, were reportedly in serious financial difficulty. According to the Italian daily La Repubblica, they had twice resisted a bailiff's visit last year by opening gas cylinders and had repeatedly threatened to blow themselves up.
The reason for the operation's tragic outcome was initially unclear. Police special units, supported by firefighters, arrived in the middle of the night, but any assistance came too late for the three Carabinieri officers who died. The injured were transported to hospitals across the area, and authorities reported that none of their injuries are considered life-threatening.
Prosecutor Raffaele Tito said early findings suggest the residents had opened gas cylinders in several rooms. 'When the Carabinieri opened the door, they heard a hissing sound - probably from the leaking gas,' Tito said. To cause such a massive explosion, he added, several rooms must have been saturated with gas. Investigators are now reviewing footage from body cameras worn by the police officers during the operation.
By morning, streets around the destroyed home were cordoned off over a wide area. A neighbour told the news agency Agi that the siblings had been living in dire conditions: 'We knew their situation was catastrophic. Last time, they poured petrol on themselves. They had lost everything. They lived without electricity, without gas, like in a cave. They always said: We'd rather blow ourselves up than leave our house.'
The deaths of the three police officers, who were between the ages of 36 and 56, have caused grief in Italy. Italy's President Sergio Mattarella expressed his condolences to the victims' families, as did Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who wrote on X: 'With deep sorrow I learn of the tragic passing of three Carabinieri . My condolences, and those of the government, go to the families of the victims.'
