Elderly British man, 86, gored by bull at controversial Spanish festival
An 86-year-old man from the UK was injured after being gored by a bull at a controversial festival in Spain.
The man was one of 11 people taken to hospital following the festival in Pamplona which sees bulls charging through the streets.
Saturday saw people taking to the streets, running ahead of the bulls through the city streets over a half-mile-long course.
The pensioner, who has not been named, is from Halesowen in the West Midlands, and sustained injuries his left elbow, left eyebrow, and right hand during the incident.
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He was one of two people from the UK injured in the festival, with the 86-year-old being the oldest by far out of the 11 people in total who were hurt.
The other brit has been named as 24-year-old William Mitchinson, who sustained an injury to his ankle in the run, Metro reports.
Mitchinson was knocked to the ground by one of the bulls as he tore through the streets.
The 24-year-old spoke to press as he left Navarra University Hospital after being treated for his injuries, saying: "I ran until the bull trampled me. I’d seen the festival on social media and it looked like good fun.
"It’s my first visit to Pamplona. I might come back another year but only for the party."
Two runners sustained gore injuries in the run, with one being gored in the chest close to the course's end.
Elsewhere by the town hall one of the group of six bulls charged four men after breaking away from the herd, with one hitting his head on the ground.
Health officials also confirmed that another man had suffered a gore injury to his thigh in the area where the knock-down incident happened.
The run was the eighth day in a row when people took to the streets ahead of a group of bulls, with the run lasting for two minutes and 25 seconds.
The festival in San Fermin started on Monday, and people dressed in the traditional outfit of white clothes with a red bandana around their necks, which is supposed to be soaked in wine.
Bull running is not unique to Pamplona and is still practised across Spain, though the run in Pamplona is the most well-known internationally.
Tourists travel from around the world to take part in the festival, which sees the bulls running alongside people and the course ending in a bull ring, where bullfights are held.
It is believed that the practice originated in part from how bulls were driven from the pastures where they were bred into the bullrings, with people attempting to outrun them in the streets.
The festival was also popularised by novellist Ernest Hemingway, who described it in his book The Sun Also Rises.
Bull running is a controversial practice and has been criticised by animal rights activists as well as people concerned about the danger to runners.
Over the years 16 people have been killed during bull runs, with the most recent fatality being in 2009.
Danial Jimeno, 27, from Madrid died after a bull called Capuchino gored him through the neck.
Kit Roberts