A New Zealand earthquake specialist says the prison sentences handed out in Italy to six scientists who reassured people a big quake wouldn't strike - despite multiple earlier tremors - is justified.
Six days later in 2009 a quake the size of Canterbury's February 2011 shake hit the city of L'Aquila, killing 309 people.
The scientists and a former government official have been found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for six years.
They've also been fined more than $NZ14 million.
Their lawyers say they will lodge an appeal but Northland-based Dr Chris Buckley says in an area that experiences a lot of seismic activity the scientists should have known better.
Dr Buckley, who formerly headed California State University's seismic laboratory, says he doesn't believe the sentencing will influence how scientists in New Zealand share quake information.
