Chaos in the streets: Injury toll rises to three as thousands of revellers hit Pamplona's raucous bull-fighting festival
Three Spanish men have been injured as
several thousand people tested their bravery by dashing alongside six
fighting bulls through the slippery streets of Pamplona in the sixth
running of the bulls at Spain's San Fermin festival.
Oscar
Gorria, deputy director of surgical services for the region of Navarra,
said one man sustained an arm injury while another had cuts and bruises
to a leg.
Municipal workers had
applied an anti-slip coating on the cobblestones of the narrow streets
in a bid to lessen injuries after rain had fallen overnight.
Weekend
runs traditionally attract the most thrill-seekers keen on running the
850-metre course from a holding pen to Pamplona's bull ring.
Juan
Arnal, a city official responsible for street safety, said the large
turnout despite heavy rain spurred the decision to spray the
cobblestones.
Even so, some of
the bulls lost their footing. Television footage showed one lucky escape
as a man had his T-shirt ripped off by a horn as one of the beasts
lifted itself from a tumble.
The
festival, which blends early-morning adrenaline with all-night parties,
attracts tens of thousands of foreign tourists each year. Fifteen
people have died from gorings since record-keeping began in 1924.
Four
Spaniards and an American have been gored so far during this year's
festivities. One of the Spaniards was seriously injured.
The nine-day festival was immortalized in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises.
The
largest turnout this year is expected Sunday when the bulls come from
the renowned Miura breeding ranch. They are some of Spain's largest and
most fearsome fighting animals, weighing up to 695 kilograms.
Fast and ferocious: Revellers run in front of
fighting bulls during the sixth 'running of the bulls' of the 2014 San
Fermin festival in Pamplona
Traditions: The annual nine-day long fiesta commemorates Saint Fermin, Pamplona's Patron Saint
Danger: Two 'mozos' or runners fall in front of
Fuente Ymbro's bulls on their way along the Estafeta stretch, in
Pamplona, northern Spain
The weekend 'runs' attract thrill-seekers from
around the country, but three runners have been injured during this
year's festival
Powerful creatures: One man sustained an arm injury while another had cuts and bruises to a leg
High octane: Fighting bulls from the Fuente Ymbro ranch run through the old cobbled streets of Pamplona
Despite the cobblestones being sprayed with an anti-slip substance, some of the bulls lost their footing
A man prays before running ahead of fighting
bulls. Revelers from around the world arrive to Pamplona every year to
take part in the eight days of the running of the bulls
Thrill-seekers: The run takes revellers from Santo Domingo street to the bull ring as part of the San Fermin festival
High risk: Three runners were hospitalised
following the run that lasted two minutes and forty-nine seconds,
according to local media
Celebrations: Festival goers in Pamplona sing a song addressed to their Patron Saint, San Fermin
Infamous festival: The nine-day event was immortalized in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises
Chaos: City dwellers embrace the annual nine-day long running-with-the-bulls fiesta
Man down: A man falls alongside the fighting bulls while running the 850-metre course from a holding pen to Pamplona's bull ring
Look out behind you: Bulls approach the runners at Estafeta corner in Pamplona
All too much: A festival goer finds a quiet spot for a much needed nap, after the sixth day of bull runs
Exhausted: It's tiring work being chased by a stampede of huge fighting bulls
Time for romance? The festival is a heady mix of drinking, dancing and late nights as well as bullfights
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