CNN iReport

Italy muzzled scientist who foresaw quake 06 Apr 2009 An Italian scientist predicted a major earthquake around L'Aquila weeks before disaster struck the city on Monday, killing dozens of people, but was reported to authorities for spreading panic among the population. The first tremors in the region were felt in mid-January and continued at regular intervals, creating mounting alarm in the medieval city, about 100 km (60 miles) east of Rome. Vans with loudspeakers had driven around the town a month ago telling locals to evacuate their houses after seismologist Gioacchino Giuliani predicted a large quake was on the way, prompting the mayor's anger. Giuliani, who based his forecast on concentrations of radon gas around seismically active areas, wasreported to police for "spreading alarm" and was forced to remove his findings from the Internet.

Scientist: My quake prediction was ignored 06 Apr 2009 A researcher says he predicted Monday's devastating earthquake that killed dozens of people and left tens of thousands homeless in central Italy, but authorities dismissed him as a scaremonger. Gioacchino Giuliani, an employee at a physics institute at Gran Sasso, near the badly-hit city of L'Aquila, has demanded an official apology for what he says was an unforgivable failure to act on his predictions.

Italy Earthquake Kills More Than 90, Leaves Thousands Homeless 06 Apr 2009 Central Italy was hit by its deadliest earthquake in almost three decades, killing more than 90 people and leaving as many as 50,000 homeless. The death toll in the central province of L’Aquila was likely to rise further,Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said.