Seven people have been injured during a bull run at a controversial festival in Spain.
Thousands narrowly avoided being gored at the Pamplona's San Fermin Festival as the huge animals were released in the streets in front of large crowds.
Six Spaniards and a Frenchman were taken to hospital for treatment following this morning's event.
Luckily, none of them were seriously hurt, amid initial fears they had been gored.
There were, however, several close calls with thousands attending the festival.
Several runners were stomped or bowled over by the six bulls and the six tame oxen that blitzed through the narrow, twisting streets of Pamplona’s old quarter in two and a half minutes.
The festival became known to the English-speaking world through Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises, and has become very popular, drawing in huge numbers of visitors.
Thousands of men, and some women, participate in the ‘encierros,’ or bull runs, trying to avoid the massive bulls and oxen.
Eight people were gored in 2019, the last festival before a two-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic.
Sixteen people have died in Pamplona’s bull runs since 1910, with the last death in 2009.
While being one of Europe’s most famous traditional festivals, the San Fermin festival is not without its controversy.
Animal rights activists have campaigned against the slaughter of the bulls, but bullfights are still popular among segments of Spanish society and remain an integral part of the festival.
It is a 875 metres course - which last around three minutes - is sprayed with a substance to prevent the bulls from slipping on the tight corners.
Almost everyone in Pamplona wears the traditional white shirt and trousers with a red sash and neckerchief for the festival.
The runs are followed by a day of drinking, eating and attending cultural events.
