PAMPLONA, Spain, July 9 (Reuters) - A Japanese man and a Spaniard were gored on Saturday on the third day of the week-long San Fermin festival in northern Spain where bulls chase red-scarved runners through the streets of Pamplona.
Many Spanish towns hold festivals involving bulls during the summer. San Fermin is the most famous internationally and attracts thousands of revelers, many from as far afield as the United States and Australia.
The 33-year-old Japanese man was gored in the chest and a 24-year-old Spanish man in the arm, while 12 others suffered minor injuries, the local government said on its website.
The Spaniard’s injury was classed as “less serious.” The local hospital declined to comment on the Japanese man’s condition, although the local Red Cross office said he had been taken there in an ambulance.
The four-minute run featured six bulls from the Jose Escolar ranch, one of which separated from the rest and caused panic among the runners.
The daily bull run starts at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) and usually lasts between three and five minutes. There are eight runs in total during the festival.
Over the past century 15 people have died in the event, which dates back hundreds of years, according to a count on the unofficial San Fermin website. The last death was recorded in 2009.
(Reporting by Eloy Alonso; Writing by Angus Berwick; Editing by Gareth Jones)
