2 gored in bull run; bullfighter killed

Two men were in serious condition after being gored during the fourth day of the running of the bulls at Pamplona's San Fermin festival on Sunday, officials said. Three others sustained head injuries.

Neither the identities nor further details were provided about the two gored men. The three others with head injuries, all Spaniards, were hospitalized. One was under observation and two were in fair condition.

More than 1,000 participants packed the narrow stone-cobbled streets of Pamplona's old town. The bulls came out strong from the starting gate and completed the 850-meter run within 2 ? minutes.

Slips and falls, however, were constant by bulls and runners, and some participants were stampeded by the 590-kilogram animals on the way to the bullring.

One of the runners, on a fence, was charged head-on by a bull but was still able to clear the running lane by rolling under a railing after falling. Another runner avoided goring but was flipped violently and hit head his head hard against the ground.

Initial medical reports said that there were three head injuries but no gorings. Some participants at Sunday's bull run wore black armbands in honor of 29-year-old matador Victor Barrio, who was fatally gored on Saturday during a bullfight in eastern Spain.

Barrio was pronounced dead late on Saturday by a surgeon at the Teruel bullring. Barrio was first gored in the thigh by the 1,166-pound bull's left horn and his body was flipped over. He was gored a second time in the chest and the blow penetrated a lung and his aorta as the matador was on the ground.

Medics were at this side almost immediately, but attempts to save his life were unsuccessful. The goring of Barrio was broadcast live on television.

He was the first professional matador to die during a bullfight in Spain since 1985.

News of his death stirred widespread reaction ranging from the bullfighting community to well-known politicians.

"My condolences to the family and colleagues of Victor Barrio," Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy tweeted. "Rest in Peace,"

Bull runs are a traditional part of summer festivals across Spain. The nine-day San Fermin fiesta became world famous with Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises and attracts thousands of foreign tourists.

Ten people, including four Americans, were gored in the San Fermin festival last year. In all, 15 people have died from gorings in the festival since record-keeping began in 1924.

(China Daily 07/11/2016 page10)