One man was gored and seven others sustained minor injuries on Tuesday, during the second day of the San Fermín festival in Pamplona (Navarra), where thousands pack the medieval city’s narrow streets for the centuries-old tradition of running with bulls.
The gored individual, described only as being over the age of 25, was struck by a bull’s horn under his right armpit, according to a spokesperson for the city’s emergency services.
‘At this time, he is under observation but is in stable condition,’ she told reporters.
The seven others involved suffered minor injuries, including bruises and contusions, some affecting the head or shoulder.
The San Fermín festival rose to international prominence thanks to Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises. It runs for a week from 7 July.
During the event’s ‘encierros’, or bull runs, fighting bulls are released into the streets and charge towards the bullring.
Each morning until 14 July, hundreds of daredevils, many wearing traditional white shirts with red scarves tied around their necks, test their bravery by running ahead and alongside the bulls through the course set up in the narrow, winding streets of the medieval city.
Roughly a million spectators descend on the city of Pamplona for the weekly tradition that dates back to the early 14th century.
Each year, animal rights protesters take to the streets in Pamplona before the official start of the event, condemning the festival. The bulls that run through the streets to the bullring face certain death in afternoon bullfights featuring Spain’s top matadors. ALSO READ: Opinion: why bullfights should stay cancelled after Covid-19.
On Tuesday morning, one of the bulls halted midway through the course and began charging runners repeatedly, creating several minutes of high tension.
Gorings occur from time to time at the hundreds of bull-running events held throughout Spain annually, while other types of injuries are more routine.
16 people have been killed in the bull runs in Pamplona since records started in 1911. The last death was in 2009 when a bull gored a 27-year-old Spaniard in the neck, heart and lungs.
In addition to the morning runs and afternoon bullfights, the festival is known for its non-stop atmosphere — with singing, dancing, drinking and religious ceremonies honouring the patron saint.
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Momentos de tensión en el #Encierro2RTVE con la ganadería Cebada Gago.
⭕ https://t.co/eGcuDv9QhY pic.twitter.com/7MQAfIO2Oo
— La 1 (@La1_tve) July 8, 2025
🔻Os dejamos las mejores imágenes de este #Encierro2RTVE
Los toros de la ganadería Cebada Gago han protagonizado el encierro con una duración de 5 minutos y 22 segundos #SanferminesRTVE https://t.co/NBYIEOG4Sj pic.twitter.com/CEHGwg1DDM
— RTVE (@rtve) July 8, 2025
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