independent.ie– A man bled to death from his injuries after he was gored in the leg at a bull-running festival in eastern Spain, authorities said yesterday.
The 55-year-old man, who has not been named, was repeatedly attacked by the bull at the festival in Onda, the town’s council said.
Other participants tried to entice the animal away but their efforts failed.
The man died on Saturday in hospital in the nearby town of Villareal after bleeding from a wound in his left thigh that perforated his artery, emergency services said. He also suffered a head wound.
Onda Council cancelled all bull-running planned at the town’s festival, which ended yesterday.
It is the first known death during a running-of-the-bulls since the festivals returned to many towns across Spain after a pandemic-imposed pause.
A public debate over whether bull-running festivals should be abolished has become more heated in recent years, and only a small number have taken place since Spain’s Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.
The animals let loose for the runs are generally used in bullfights later on the same day.
A 2020 survey by Electomania, a polling company, found 46.7pc of Spaniards were in favour of banning bullfighting, 34.7pc were not in favour but did not back a legal ban and 18.6pc believed it should be preserved.
The most well-known bull-running event is Pamplona’s San Fermín festival, which is next expected in July 2022 after a two-year hiatus.
