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Six hurt in first bull run of Spain's San Fermin festival

The festival attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year but animal rights activists say it is cruel
The festival attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year but animal rights activists say it is cruel

Six people were injured this morning, none of them seriously, in the first bull running race of Spain's San Fermin festival, medics said.

"Six people were taken to hospital" for injuries to the face or limbs from falling or being trampled during the first race of the festival in the northern city of Pamplona, Red Cross spokesman Jose Aldaba told Spain's public television.

The bull runs, where thousands turn out to watch or join a group of half-tonne bulls racing through narrow cobbled streets, traditionally begin on July 7 and take place every morning at 8am (7am Irish time) for eight days.

"None of the injuries seem to be serious," Mr Aldaba said.

"For a July 7th, which is still one of the most crowded, it has been a 'clean' run."

Bull-running events are a highlight of summer festivities across Spain, with the best known being the San Fermin festival, which was made famous by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises".

A man is thrown by a young cow at the festival

Sixteen people have died in the San Fermin bull runs since 1911.

The last death occurred in 2009 when a bull gored a 27-year-old Spaniard.

The festival attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year but animal rights activists campaign against the festival, claiming it is cruel.

The bulls that run each morning are killed in the afternoon by professional bullfighters.

Almost everyone in Pamplona wears the traditional white shirt and trousers with red sash and neckerchief during the festival.

Additional reporting PA