Boy killed by snow groomer

A primary school student died instantly in a freak skiing accident around midday today (Thurs).Officials in the ski resort of Rußbach in Salzburg’s Tennengau region announced that the boy – whose nationality and age were not given – skidded down a hill for around 200 metres after dropping out of a tow lift. He was then hit by a snow groomer, they said, adding that its driver apparently did not to notice the kid.The boy died before a team of paramedics arrived.A similar incident occurred in Krimml, Salzburg, earlier this year when a 10-year-old boy from Germany sustained nothing but a cut on his forehead when he crashed into a piste-maintenance vehicle while sledging. He did not have to be hospitalised.More than 65,000 people of all ages were injured on pistes across Austria last winter according to insurance agency VAV. Experts examining the situation on the slopes for the insurer found that the people skiing down the hills at significantly different speeds dramatically raises the risk of crashes.