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.

Prosecutors had said the defendants gave a falsely reassuring statement before the quake after studying tremors that had shaken the city.

The defence had argued that there was no way to predict major earthquakes even in a seismically active area.

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