3 injured including a goring in running of the bulls at Pamplona’s San Fermin festival

3 injured in Spain’s running of the bulls

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

All three — Spanish men whose identities and ages were not disclosed — were hospitalized and later released, the regional government of Navarra said, adding that three other people injured during the seven days of runs remain hospitalized.

Renowned bullfighter Julian Lopez Escobar, also known as “El Juli,” also was discharged from a hospital after having been gored in the scrotum during a bullfight.

Those still hospitalized were a 37-year-old Pamplona resident, well known locally for running the course every year and who was injured Sunday; a 20-year-old British man gored Friday; and an 18-year-old Australian who suffered 3 fractured vertebrae on July 7, the regional government said.

Tuesday’s run lasted two minutes and 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 steers, 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.

El Juli was injured in the Pamplona bullfight Monday night, the regional government said. He is one of Spain’s most famous matadors, known for a fearless style that involves making cape passes on bulls while standing dangerously close to the hulking animals and for making his professional debut in Mexico in 1997 at the age of 14.

A 22-year-old American, who had received a similar injury Wednesday when a horned juvenile cow tore his scrotum, has been released from hospital, authorities said.

The government announced Tuesday that the Pamplona festival will become the subject of a Bollywood movie called “Zindagi milegi da dobara” (”You only live once”), with a budget of euro11.5 million ($14.5 million).

Associated Press writer Harold Heckle in Madrid contributed to this report.