Due to the Corona crisis, the San Fermines festival scheduled for July in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona has been canceled for the past two years. But now it was that time again. The “encierro” – the famous bull hunt – took place again and took its toll: five injured were hospitalized. They either hit the cobblestones of the Basque city or were trampled by bulls. This year no one was impaled by the horns.
One of the injured had to be treated in hospital for a leg injury, a Red Cross spokesman said. Another had hit his head and a boy sustained an arm injury. This year again hundreds of daring people took part in the hatz.
In the running of the bulls, six wild bulls, along with six domesticated oxen, run the 850-meter path from a cage to the bullring, where they are later killed in the bullfight. On Thursday, the animals needed two minutes and 35 seconds to cover the distance.
Photos of the hunt in Pamplona:
Dozens of people are injured every year at the festival with visitors from all over the world. However, the participants are mainly injured by falls or because the police trampled them. The last fatality was in 2009 when a bull impaled a Spaniard in the neck, heart and lungs. Since 1910, a total of 16 participants in the running of the bulls have died.
Video: Precautions Against Sexual Harassment
The nine-day festival is open on Wednesday. Thousands of people celebrated in the city, which again this year took security measures to prevent sexual violence against women (see video above). Animal rights activists – disguised as dinosaurs – had previously demonstrated against “prehistoric” hunting – but again without success.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
