Runner Gored and Dozens Injured in San Fermin Bull Run
A participant was pierced in the face by a bull during Saturday's San Fermin bull run in Pamplona, and 12 others required medical care after the animals charged through the crowd.
A runner was gored in the face and 12 other participants received treatment for injuries after six bulls and accompanying steers surged through a crowded street in Pamplona during Saturday's San Fermin festival. The animals knocked people onto the cobblestones, causing several pileups during the 2½-minute run from the pen to the bullring, where the bulls will be killed later in the day.
According to the University of Navarra Hospital, a black bull broke away early in the 957-yard run and struck a person in the side of the face with its horn. The incident left the runner with a facial wound, while other runners, many of whom were inexperienced tourists, sustained various knocks and bruises.
"The injuries were consistent with the typical hazards of the run, but the facial goring required immediate attention," a hospital spokesperson said.
The event marked the fifth morning run of the eight-day celebration. Although the last fatality at San Fermin occurred in 2009, injuries are common, partly because a large number of novice participants join local runners each year.