Advertisement

Seven hurt in Spanish bull run

Seven people have been sent to hospital after fighting bulls trampled and knocked over daredevils on a run through the streets of Spain’s northern city of Pamplona.

No one was gored on Friday but three people suffered head injuries, including a 19-year-old woman from Valencia, a 48-year-old man from New York and a 46-year-old man from Paisley in Scotland, the regional government of Navarra said.

A 33-year-old Spanish man dislocated his right shoulder and another three Spaniards suffered bruises and cuts to the face or knee.

The seven injured were taken to hospital by ambulance after receiving first aid at the scene. None of their injuries were deemed serious.

Emergency services workers loaded a man whose head was wrapped in a bandage on a stretcher to an ambulance.

The six bulls from the Jandilla ranch in the eastern province of Badajoz charged in a pack over most of the 850m course from a holding pen to Pamplona’s bull ring in two minutes and 56 seconds.

The bulls, which weighed between 510kg and 595kg, will face matadors and death in the afternoon in the arena.

Hundreds of runners collided with each other or pushed one another out of the way in panic as the galloping animals neared.

“It was intense. You barely have time to think about what is going on, you are just focused on avoiding crashing into people,” said Jonathan Sweeney, a 27-year-old bartender and law student from Los Angeles who was taking part in a bull run for the first time.

Friday’s run was the fifth in the nine-day San Fermin festival, which was immortalised in Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises.

San Fermin has become a global tourist attraction, with tens of thousands of Spaniards and foreigners pouring into the Navarran capital.

Many bull run participants take part after drinking and dancing almost all night.

Fifteen people have been killed in the bull runs since records began in 1911. The most recent death occurred five years ago when a Spanish man was gored.

Four Spaniards and one American have been gored so far this year in the festival, which wraps up on Monday.

Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.