Italy: School bans heels over earthquake concerns

The 2009 L'Aquila earthquake caused widespread damage and killed more than 300 people

A school in central Italy has reportedly banned high heels because they could impede a swift evacuation during an earthquake.

The new rules, which apply to students and staff, mean heels measuring more than 4cm (1.6in) will no longer be allowed at the secondary school in Avezzano, a town in the seismically active province of L'Aquila, the Ansa news agency reports. Wedges and flip-flops are also now prohibited, after the school's leadership reviewed data on the number of injuries sustained while wearing different types of footwear, the report says.

"The directive isn't the result of a puritanical imagination," headteacher Anna Amanzi tells the agency. "It's a serious requirement - to teach students prevention and education, especially in a high-risk seismic zone." But some at the school feel the measure is unnecessary. "I have never come to school in heels, but to me this measure seems really excessive," one teacher is quoted as saying. A student adds that the school authorities should focus on "more serious things - for example heating the school".

The region suffered a devastating earthquake in 2009, which killed 309 people and damaged an estimated 10,000 buildings in the city of L'Aquila and nearby towns and villages.

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