Four injured in Pamplona running of the bulls

10 July 2007

MADRID – Four men were hospitalized with injuries after crowds of enthusiasts in the medieval city of Pamplona ran alongside six fighting bulls in the fourth bull run of the annual San Fermin festival. No gorings were reported.

The hospital of Navarra said in statement that a 25-year old runner had a shoulder injury and a 30-year-old suffered head injuries due to a strong knock by a bull’s horn.

Two other men suffered heavy bruising to their legs and wrists.

The four men were all Spanish nationals, aged between 25 and 46, the hospital said. They were not listed in serious condition. Earlier, the Red Cross had reported that one man was gored.

The run took two minutes and 27 seconds, a relatively quick time, from a corral where the six bulls are herded the night prior to the run to the bull ring in the center of the city.

Minor injuries were caused when bulls and runners slipped and fell as they charged along the near kilometer (half-mile) -long route.

The festival in this northern town, renowned for its all-night street parties, dates back to the late 16th century. It gained worldwide fame in Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel “The Sun Also Rises.”

Since record-keeping began in 1924, 13 people have been killed during the runs. The last was a 22-year-old American, Matthew Tassio, who was gored to death in 1995.

[Copyright AP with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news