An American and a Spanish runner were gored and at least four other people were hospitalised on Monday after the eighth and final running of the bulls at Pamplona’s San Fermin festival.
The American, identified as Robert Fluhr (27) of Arkansas, was gored in the buttock. He was hospitalised in one of Pamplona’s main hospitals and underwent surgery. Jose Lorente Garcera, a 30-year-old from Valencia, was gored in the right leg. Both were in serious condition, according to hospital staff.
At least four other runners were hospitalised after being trampled by the bulls. A lone white and black bull who became separated from the herd created one of the tensest runs of this year’s San Fermin festival.
The bull took two minutes to cover the final 150 metres of the 825-meter run to the bull ring, completing the run in just over four minutes. Separated from the pack after it attacked a runner and slipped on the cobblestones, it stopped and turned to face the oncoming runners. It charged one runner, apparently goring him, before being coaxed away by other runners who shouted and waved rolled up newspapers to attract its attention.
In the narrow alleyway leading to the bullring, the bull again charged the crowd, pinning one runner to the ground with its horns.
The man managed to pull himself underneath the wooden barriers and out of the bull’s reach, and runners finally coaxed the bull into the ring.
From the outset the bulls were distracted by the runners, looking into the crowd and frequently charging at runners. The six animals were from the Torrestrella ranch — renowned for breeding bulls that are easily distracted. A bull from the ranch was responsible for the last fatality of the bull run in 1995.
A relatively low number of runners during Monday’s run kept the injury-count down. There have been 11 gorings in this year’s eight runs — just above the yearly average of seven to 10 gorings. The number of other injuries sustained during the runs is above average this year.
The fiesta, famed for its all-night street parties, dates back to the late 16th century but gained world fame from Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises.
Running bulls through the town began as simply the easiest way to get them to the ring for bullfights, but eventually daredevils started running in front of them.
Since record-keeping began in 1924, 13 people have been killed at the San Fermin festival. The last fatality was a 22-year-old American, gored to death in 1995. – Sapa-AP