An 86-year-old British man from Halesowen in the West Midlands was among 57 people injured while participating in the running of the bulls festival in Pamplona, northern Spain. The man was taken to hospital on Tuesday, the last morning of the eight-day annual event, after sustaining injuries to his right hand, left elbow, and right eyebrow. A festival spokesperson stated that the man, who has not been named, was being assessed by doctors but was not thought to be seriously hurt.
Festival details and injuries
The annual Sanfermines festival, which draws participants from around the world, involves racing through the narrow streets of Pamplona ahead of six bulls. Each run, or encierro, begins at 8am with participants dressed in white and red neckerchiefs sprinting over the 848.6-metre course from a holding pen to the city's bullring. On the final day, two Spaniards were gored: an 18-year-old local man suffered a goring to the left thigh, and a 46-year-old man from Guadalajara in central Spain sustained a horn wound to the chest. Neither was gravely injured.
Historical context
While trampling injuries and gorings are common, at least 16 deaths have occurred during runs over the past 116 years. The last fatality was Daniel Jimeno Romero, a 27-year-old participant from Alcalá de Henares near Madrid, who was fatally gored in the neck and lung in 2009. The festival was immortalized in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises, which follows American and British expats attending the festival.
