Pamplona: Panic at San Fermín festival as bull seriously injures runner

Panic erupted in Pamplona, Spain, on Saturday during the traditional Running of the Bulls at the San Fermín festival, when a runner suffered a severe facial injury from a bull's horn. The annual event, a major draw for international visitors, was marked by a serious accident this year. The runner sustained a goring to the face, and dozens more participants fell to the ground amid the ensuing chaos as bulls charged through the narrow city streets. The six bulls completed the 875-meter course from the corral to the bullring in about two and a half minutes, but the run was particularly dangerous due to the numerous falls, which created dangerous pile-ups. According to the University Hospital of Navarre, one man received a horn wound to the face, while an additional 12 people required medical attention for injuries sustained during the run. A black bull that became separated from the main group early in the run appeared to be a significant factor in the chaos, charging towards a group of runners and goring one man on the side of his face. While authorities have not officially confirmed if this specific bull caused the severe injury, images from the scene showed participants on the ground and others scrambling to avoid the agitated animals. Saturday marked the fifth day of the eight-day festival, made famous globally by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises." Despite the last fatality occurring in 2009, injuries from horns, fractures, and serious falls remain a near-annual occurrence. Animal rights organizations continue to protest the festival, deeming both the bull run and bullfights as forms of animal abuse.