The earthquake devastated the city of L'Aquila and many surrounding villages

BBC

Six Italian scientists and an ex-government official have been sentenced to six years in prison over the 2009 deadly earthquake in L'Aquila.

A regional court found them guilty of multiple manslaughter, reports the BBC.

Prosecutors said the defendants gave a falsely reassuring statement before the quake, while the defence maintained there was no way to predict major quakes.

The 6.3 magnitude quake devastated the city and killed 309 people.

It took Judge Marco Billi slightly more than four hours to reach the verdict.

The seven - all members of the National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks - were judged to have provided "inexact, incomplete and contradictory" information about the danger of the tremors felt ahead of 6 April 2009 quake, Italian media report.

In the closing statement, the prosecution quoted one of its witnesses, whose father died in the earthquake.

It described how Guido Fioravanti had called his mother at about 11pm on the night of the earthquake - straight after the first tremor.

"I remember the fear in her voice. On other occasions they would have fled but that night, with my father, they told themselves what the risk commission had said. And they stayed."

The judge also ordered the defendants to pay court costs and damages.

It was not immediately known if they planned to appeal.

The case has alarmed many in the scientific community, who feel science itself has been put on trial.

More than 5,000 scientists signed an open letter to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano in support of the defendants.