Please help us improve PreventionWeb by taking this brief survey. Your input will allow us to better serve the needs of the DRR community.
L'Aquila quake: Italy scientists guilty of manslaughter
According to BBC news, six Italian scientists and an ex-government official, all members of the National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks, have been sentenced to six years in prison over the deadly earthquake in L'Aquila, for having provided an "inexact, incomplete and contradictory" reassuring statement regarding minor tremors ahead of 6 April 2009 quake.
The defense maintained there was no way to predict such a major quake as the 6.3 magnitude one that devastated the city and killed 309 people. The case has alarmed the scientific community and might set a damaging precedent, dissuading experts from sharing their knowledge with the public for fear of being prosecuted, the BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome reports.
Explore further
Please note: Content is displayed as last posted by a PreventionWeb community member or editor. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of UNDRR, PreventionWeb, or its sponsors. See our terms of use
Is this page useful?
Yes No Report an issue on this pageThank you. If you have 2 minutes, we would benefit from additional feedback (link opens in a new window).