7 experts convicted for not warning of quake risk

By Frances D'emilio, Annalisa Camilli

Published October 22, 2012 4:00am ET

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7 experts convicted for not warning of quake risk — Defendants Claudio Eva, center, and Bernardo De Bernardinis, third from right, a former official of the national Civil Protection agency, listen to the verdict at L'Aquila court, Italy, Monday, Oct. 22, 2012. An Italian court has convicted seven scientists and experts of manslaughter for failing to adequately warn citizens before an earthquake struck central Italy in 2009, killing more than 300 people. The court in L'Aquila Monday evening handed down the convictions and six-year-prison sentences to the defendants, members of a national "Great Risks Commission." In Italy, convictions aren't definitive until after at least one level of appeals, so it is unlikely any of the defendants would face jail immediately. Scientists worldwide had decried the trial as ridiculous, contending that science has no way to predict quakes. (AP Photo/Raniero Pizzi) | Raniero Pizzi

L‘AQUILA, Italy (AP) — In a verdict that sent shock waves through the scientific community, an Italian court convicted seven experts of manslaughter on Monday for failing to adequately warn residents of the risk before an earthquake struck central Italy in 2009, killing more than 300 people.

The defendants, all prominent scientists or geological and disaster experts, were sentenced to six years in prison.

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