Two Australians and a Spaniard have been gored by a bull that broke from the pack during the final bull run of this year's San Fermin festival, health officials from the northern Spanish city of Pamplona say.
That took the number of gorings to eight for the eight bull runs that provide a high-adrenaline morning rush to the non-stop party that draws around 1 million people each year.
While five of the bulls stayed in a group on Sunday and charged through the twisting streets with their guiding steers, one bull drifted back and provoked havoc in the crowds of runners.
The bull flipped one man over its horns and slammed him onto the cobblestone street. It then clipped another two runners who were trapped against a wall.
Regional hospital spokesman Tomas Belzunegui said the man who had been tossed by the chocolate-coloured bull named Rabanero was gored in the leg, while another man was gored in the right arm and a third in the armpit. The hospital said the wounds were not life- threatening.
The Red Cross reported several other injuries from knocks received from the bulls and steers, or from runners tumbling out of the way.
The previous seven bull runs had produced five gorings of three Spaniards and two Americans.
The six bulls involved in the 850-metre run to the bull ring will be killed at the ring later on Sunday.
The San Fermin fiesta was made famous internationally by Ernest Hemingway in his 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises."
Sixteen people have died in the bull runs since 1910. The last death occurred in 2009.
Animal rights protesters have also become a fixture in Pamplona.
On the eve of this year's festival, dozens of semi-naked activists staged a performance simulating speared bulls lying dead on Pamplona's streets to draw attention to what they see as animal cruelty for the sake of entertainment.
Bullfights are protected under the Spanish Constitution as part of the country's cultural heritage.
Australian Associated Press
