Explosion in Italy kills three Carabinieri during police raid

An explosion at a farmhouse in northern Italy during a police raid killed three Carabinieri officers and injured 12 others, Italy's fire service said on X on Tuesday.

The explosion occurred in Castel d'Azzano, near the city of Verona, overnight and caused the farmhouse to collapse, firefighters said. A woman was also injured and seven firefighters were taken to hospital for checks, they added.

Italian media reported that the officers were trying to carry out an eviction order and that the initial indications were that gas canisters had exploded in the building. The noise from the blast could be heard as far as five kilometres (3.1 miles) away.

Corriere della Sera reported that three siblings lived in the building and had been resisting attempts to evict them for several years.

"With deep sorrow I have learnt of the tragic passing of three Carabinieri. My condolences, and those of the government, go to the families of the victims," Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on X.