An 86-year-old British man was injured by a bull at the San Fermin festival, making him the oldest participant to be harmed in the annual event. The elderly tourist, hailing from Halesowen, West Midlands, was one of 10 individuals wounded on the final day of the Pamplona festival last Tuesday. His injuries included a goring to his left elbow, along with cuts to his eyebrow and right hand.
In a separate incident, 24-year-old William Mitchinson, also from Britain, ended up in the hospital after being knocked down and trampled while trying to outrun the six bulls and castrated steers. Speaking from Navarra University Hospital with his ankle in a brace, Mitchinson mentioned running until he was trampled by a bull, expressing that despite his ordeal, he might consider returning to Pamplona for the festivities in the future.
The event, lasting just two minutes and 25 seconds, saw two other participants sustaining goring injuries, with one pierced in the chest and another in the thigh. Amidst the chaos, one of the steers broke free and charged a group of men, resulting in one individual hitting his head on the ground upon falling.
July 14 marked the eighth consecutive day of packed streets in Pamplona, with images showcasing runners dressed in red and white fleeing from the charging bulls. Some runners were seen lying on the cobblestone paths, trying to shield themselves as the bulls raced past. Previous runs have led to one person being gored in the face and 12 others requiring medical attention.
The festival, popularized by Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, attracts thousands of thrill-seekers annually, providing a significant economic boost to Pamplona. However, it faces criticism from animal rights organizations like PETA and AnimaNaturalis, who condemn the perceived cruelty of the event and the subsequent bullfights where the bulls are killed.
Since its inception, 16 fatalities have occurred during the festival, with the most recent being the death of 27-year-old Daniel Jimeno in 2009, who was fatally gored by a bull named Capuchino.