Jailed over earthquake predictions

After thinking about this for awhile, I am still in disbelief that scientists could be jailed over a failed earthquake prediction.
A quick summary of the article, six scientists and a government official are being sentenced to six years in jail for failure to accurately predict an earthquake that occurred in Italy in 2009.  Yes, more than 300 people were killed because the earthquake was predicted incorrectly but natural hazards are currently impossible to predict! To be held accountable for the deaths of these people is "both unfair and naive", quoted from the second CNN article. 

In another quote taken from the second article, "Eugenio Carlomagno is among the citizens of L'Aquila to feel let down by the panel. 'There are big responsibilities that this trial has to establish. No one alerted us, there were no evacuation plans that could have saved lives,' he told CNN.'

Regardless of if the citizens were not alerted, it is still the earthquake that killed the people.  Not the earthquake. 

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/23/world/europe/italy-quake-scientists-guilty/index.html?on.cnn=2
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/09/20/world/europe/italy-quake-trial/index.html