Italian Scientists Sentenced to Prison for not Predicting Earthquake

An Italian court has found six seismologists and one government official guilty of manslaughter and sentenced them each to six years in prison.

The verdict followed a trial that lasted over a year and was based on how the defendants communicated the risk before a deadly earthquake that shook the city of L'Aquila.

The magnitude 6.3 earthquake in April 2009 killed 309 people.  In addition to the prison term, the scientists will be permanently banned from public service and will have to pay financial compensation of 7.8 million Euros ($10 million US) to the city and to the families of 29 victims named in the indictment.

One week before the deadly quake struck, the defendants were asked to assess the risk of a major earthquake in light of several shocks in the area.  After meeting with the seismologists, Italy's Civil Protection Department and local authorities announced that the minor shocks did not raise the risk of a major quake.

Prosecutors argued that this false assurance was the reason 29 people who would otherwise have left L'Aquila during the quake activity decided to stay, and were killed when their homes collapsed.

[Source: SmartPlanet]