At least two riders were injured during the third running of the bulls at the traditional San Fermín festival in Pamplona, in northern Spain, on Tuesday.
That meant fewer people were injured than in previous races, when five to six competitors ended up in hospital, according to commentators on state television channel RTVE, who expressed relief after some dangerous scenes during the event.
Hundreds of people chase six huge bulls, some weighing more than 600 kilos, and several oxen into the arena. The races run through Sunday as part of the annual festival, which dates back to the 16th century.
The bulls are rounded up in the Pamplona bullring, where they are killed by matadors during bullfights.
The festival in honour of the Catholic Saint Fermín also includes numerous concerts and processions, but the bull runs and bullfights are the highlight of the festivities.
Dozens of runners, mostly young men, are injured each year while racing the 875-meter course. Since 1924, there have been 16 deaths, the last in 2009.
Animal rights activists have called the Running of the Bulls “medieval cruelty” and said it must be stopped immediately. The Running of the Bulls is nothing more than panicked animals trying to escape through a crowd of screaming people, they say.
Despite this, the festival continues to attract thousands of visitors from all over the world.
