Man Bleeds To Death After Being Repeatedly Gored By Bull In Festival

A 55-year-old man who participated in a bull-running event during a festival in Castello, Spain, has died, local officials said Saturday.

The unnamed victim was repeatedly attacked by a bull at the Fira de Onda festival in the town of Onda, The Guardian reported, citing officials.

The bull's attacks resulted in the man receiving a wound to his left thigh, which perforated an artery, according to the outlet. He also sustained a head injury.

Other participants in the bull-running event tried to distract the animal, but they failed, a report by The Independent said.

The victim was later taken to a hospital in nearby Villarreal, where he died after losing too much blood.

The man's death was the first fatality of its kind since bull-running events were resumed in Spain following a relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions over the summer, the BBC reported.

The council of Onda has since canceled all bull-running events in the town's festivals, but other activities are set to continue.

Only a small number of bull-running events have reportedly taken place since Spain lifted its pandemic restrictions as the public debate on whether the events should be banned has heated up in recent years.

The practice, which is a long-standing feature of Spanish culture and is also present in some form in France and Portugal, involves crowds of participants running in front of a group of bulls that are let loose in a section of the town. The animals are then taken to participate in bull-fighting tournaments in some festivals.

Injuries are common in these bull runs, with the San Fermin festival in the city of Pamplona having seen the deaths of at least 16 runners since 1910.

Around 46.7% of Spanish citizens were in favor of banning bullfighting, according to a survey from last year by the polling company Electomania.

About 34.7% of those surveyed were not in favor but did not back a legal ban. The remaining 18.6%, meanwhile, believed the event should be preserved.

Spanish teenagers were banned from spending a €400 ($460) government grant, issued this month to those turning 18 years old next year, on tickets for bullfight events. However, they can still spend the money on other cultural activities.