Explosion in Leontica TI: Three police officers slightly injured, house completely destroyed

Three police officers slightly injured

As the police told Ticino radio and television RSI, three police officers were slightly injured in the operation. In the canton of Ticino, three police officers were slightly injured – in the explosion of a house. The injuries are described as minor; according to the authorities, the three officers are receiving medical treatment.

In the explosion, the house caught fire and was completely destroyed, as the cantonal police wrote. A dead person was found in the house, along with explosives. In addition to explosives, human remains were found in the rubble, RSI online reported. Identification has not yet been completed.

House completely destroyed – explosives found

Police, several fire departments and rescue organizations, as well as the Rega, were deployed on Friday evening. The police evacuated four people from neighboring buildings as a precaution. The residents were brought to safety while the emergency services dealt with the fire and the aftermath of the explosion.

Possible connection to Thursday's homicide

The emergency services wanted to meet a man at the scene of the incident who is suspected of having killed his ex-wife. According to RSI, the man the police officers wanted to meet in the house is the ex-husband of a woman who was killed on Thursday evening at a hospital in the region. She had been found on Thursday evening with severe gunshot wounds to the head and died shortly thereafter.

According to a report by RSI, the emergency services were tracking a man suspected of having killed his ex-wife the previous evening. The man has not yet been found, the Ticino cantonal police wrote in the meantime. It therefore remains unclear whether the human remains found in the rubble can be attributed to the man being sought.

The authorities have not yet confirmed a possible connection between the explosion and Thursday's homicide. The public prosecutor's office and the cantonal police announced further investigations. The identification of the human remains and the forensic examination of the explosives are ongoing.

Investigations ongoing

The incident has caused a stir in the small village of Leontica in the Blenio Valley, approximately 30 kilometers north of Bellinzona. The authorities are asking the public to report any information to the Ticino cantonal police. Further information is expected to follow during the course of Saturday.

The article was published under the byline lwa. The reporting is based on communications from the Ticino cantonal police, the public prosecutor's office, and reports from Ticino radio and television RSI.