An Italian court has ruled that victims of the 2009 earthquake in Aquila, central Italy, are partially responsible for their deaths and that compensation payments to their families should be reduced, Italian media reported.
309 people lost their lives in the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that destroyed the historic center of Aquila on April 6, 2009, at 3:32 am.
The judge in the civil case filed by the families of the 24 people who died under the rubble of a building said the victims went back to bed despite two previous shakings during the night, writes AFP.
Due to "reckless behavior" they are 30 percent responsible for their death, the judge ruled, reports the daily Il Messaggero.

Absurd decision
Maria Grazia Picinini, a lawyer and the mother of Ilaria Rambaldi, a 25-year-old student who died in the earthquake, called the court's decision "absurd" as experts said the risk of a deadly earthquake was minimal.
"My daughter was not worried and neither were the others," Picinini told Corriere della Sera, adding that the families seeking compensation will appeal.

Seven members of the government's Commission for the Prevention of Major Hazards were convicted for failing to warn residents to be careful.
In the earthquake that completely destroyed the medieval center of the capital of Abruzzo province, 1,600 people were injured and at least 80,000 were left homeless