The kick-off of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, on Sunday left at least five people — including three runners who were gored — hospitalized, officials said.
Authorities report that a 46-year-old man from San Francisco, Calif., was gored in the neck in the city’s bullring and also required surgery. A 23-year-old man from Florence, Ky., was gored in the thigh.
Also, a 40-year-old Spanish man was gored in the thigh, and two other young Spanish men suffered head injuries during the opening run, which lasted 2 minutes and 41 seconds.
The running of the bulls — part of the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, in northern Spain — draws roughly 1 million people to the city each year. During its nine-day run, six bulls run each morning in the city’s narrow streets, then are killed in afternoon bullfights.
“Runners” race ahead of or next to the bulls while people watch from balconies.
The local Red Cross said that emergency personnel attended to 48 people with less serious or minor injuries, including two who were trampled by the racing bulls.
While bullfights are protected under the Spanish Constitution as part of the country’s cultural heritage, protests by pro-animal rights groups have become a fixture in recent years.