1 person gored in rapid running of the bulls at Spain’s San Fermin festival

By Alvaro Barrientos, AP
Tuesday, July 13, 2010

1 person gored Spain’s bull run

PAMPLONA, Spain — A man was gored in the arm in a tense, fast-paced penultimate running of the bulls at Spain’s San Fermin festival, officials said Tuesday.

Three people were hospitalized, one from a goring to the right arm and another two with unspecified injuries from falls, a spokeswoman for the regional government of Navarra said.

Live television shots of the 8 a.m. (0600 GMT; 2 a.m. EDT) dash ahead of six fighting bulls showed the gored man back up on his feet and looking for medical assistance.

The spokeswoman said all three were Spaniards and none was in serious condition. She spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with local government policy.

Earlier, hospital officials had said just two people were hospitalized.

The run lasted two minutes, 14 seconds, the fastest of seven staged so far. Several thousand people took part in the event although the crowd was noticeably smaller than in previous runs.

The runs are the highlight of the nine-day festival, which also features all-night partying and attracts tens of thousands of people, many from abroad.

Several people were treated by Spanish Red Cross crews on the street after the run for bruises and cuts sustained in falls.

The bulls are accompanied by six steer, used to help guide the bulls along the slippery 930-yard (850-meter) stretch from a holding pen on the edge of town to the central bull ring.

Two of the bulls managed to race ahead of the pack and caused moments of panic as they tried repeatedly to toss runners along the way.

The bulls are killed by matadors in bullfights later in the day.

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