Quake mistake
May 26, 2011
Seven experts have been indicted in Italy for failing to warn residents ahead of the L'Aquila earthquake in April 2009. The devastating 6.3 magnitude quake brought down the central Italian city, killing more than 300 people and leaving thousands homeless.
The scientists face charges of manslaughter and of falsely reassuring residents. The investigating judge said the scientists "gave inexact, incomplete, and contradictory information'' and that they "thwarted the activities designed to protect the public."
For months leading up to the quake, small tremors rattled the region around the city. Concerned residents requested expert advice on whether to prepare for a larger quake.
The advice came just six days before the 6.3 earthquake devastated the city. A commission of seismic experts issued a memo that reassured residents that a major quake was "unlikely."
No major quake ever predicted
The defendants were all members of the government's Great Risks Commission, charged with evaluating prospects for natural disasters.
But the scientists' defense lawyers condemn the charges and point out that no major quake has ever been predicted.
Among those indicted is Enzo Boschi, head of Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. In the aftermath of the 2009 quake he said the best way to prevent earthquake damage was to build seismic-proof structures.
In l'Aquila, though, dozens of supposedly sound buildings collapsed and there are now other court cases under way claiming shoddy construction was to blame.
The trial of the seven is scheduled to begin on September 20 and is likely to go on for at least a year.
Author: Megan Williams, Rome /ai
Editor: Susan Houlton