Thousands of revellers wearing red and white sprayed each other with red wine in Pamplona’s main square on Wednesday for the start of Spain’s famed San Fermin bull-running festival. One runner was seen pulling a bull away by the horn to prevent him goring a man and a woman who had fallen to the ground. While transporting cattle in order to sell them at the market, men would try to speed the process by hurrying their cattle using tactics of fear and excitement.
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Another beast repeatedly tossed a man about before being lured away by other runners.
The deadly goring occurred at about 1am during festivities in the small village of Pedreguera, where the Red Cross said the heifer gored the 29-year-old man through the thorax and abdomen.
The running of the bulls forms part of the San Fermin festival, a fiesta honouring Saint San Fermin.
The nine day San Fermin fiesta, made famous by Ernest Hemingway, attracts thousands of foreign tourists each year.
More than 1,000 people took part in the run, which lasted almost six minutes, more than twice the normal running time.
The festivities will continue until July 14, and will feature daily bull runs and bullfights.
Navarra Hospital Dr Manuel Montesino said three people sustained head injuries and another suffered an arm injury in Thursday’s run (local time).
The bulls used on Friday weighed between 530 and 650 kg (1,170-1,430 lbs). In Pamplona and other places, the six bulls in the event are still those that will feature in the afternoon bullfight of the same day.
Two men have been gored as they took part in the third day of Spain’s annual bull-running festival.
Ten were gored in last year’s festival.
A wild cow jumps over revelers in the bullring after the first running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, July 7, 2016.
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In all, 15 people have died from gorings in the San Fermin festival since record-keeping began in 1924.
