Two Australians and a Spaniard have injured when a bull broke away from the pack during the final bull run of this year’s San Fermin festival, health officials from the northern Spanish city of Pamplona say.

That took the number of gorings to eight for the eight bull runs that provide a high-adrenaline morning rush to the non-stop party that draws about 1 million people each year.

On Sunday, five of the bulls stayed in a group and charged through the twisting streets with their guiding steers. But one drifted back and provoked havoc in the crowds of runners.

The bull flipped one man over its horns and slammed him onto the cobblestone street. It then clipped another two runners who were trapped against a wall.

Regional hospital spokesman Tomas Belzunegui said the man who had been tossed by the chocolate-coloured bull named Rabanero was gored in the leg. Another man was gored in the right arm and a third in his armpit.

The hospital said the wounds were not life-threatening.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was aware of reports that two Australians had been injured at Pamplona.

“We stand ready to offer consular assistance, in accordance with the Consular Services Charter, to any Australian citizen, should they request it,” a DFAT spokesperson said in a statement.

The Red Cross reported several other injuries from knocks received from the bulls and steers on Sunday, or from runners tumbling out of the way.

Three Spaniards and two Americans were also injured in the seven earlier bull runs.

The six bulls involved in the 850-metre run to the bull ring were to be killed at the ring later on Sunday.

The San Fermin fiesta was made famous internationally by Ernest Hemingway in his 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises.

Sixteen people have died in the bull runs since 1910. The last death was in 2009.

Animal rights protesters have also become a fixture in Pamplona.

On the eve of this year’s festival, dozens of semi-naked activists staged a performance simulating speared bulls lying dead on Pamplona’s streets to draw attention to what they see as animal cruelty for the sake of entertainment.

Bullfights are protected under the Spanish Constitution as part of the country’s cultural heritage.