A 36-YEAR-OLD man has been seriously injured after being gored in the first bullfighting weekend since the start of the pandemic in the town of Nules.
The victim, a man from the town of Onda, is gravely injured in hospital after sustaining serious injuries to his mouth and his eye in the mauling.
He was quickly attended to at the scene, and he was taken to hospital where doctors were able to stabilize him. He is being treated at Castellón General Hospital by a maxillofacial surgeon, and he is being kept under observation.
The town of Nules was celebrating its first bullfighting weekend, known as the bous al carrer, since the start of the pandemic, the first in two years. The event involves releasing bulls from the bullfighting arena, whilst participants run for their lives.
The on-site doctor at the event accompanied the wounded man to hospital, and because that meant the only on duty doctor left the event, the rest of the scheduled bullfights were called off.
The town’s mayor, David García, told Spanish newspaper El Periodico Mediterraneo that the celebrations were “very exciting for those of us who are (bullfighting) fans”. He also assured people strict measures were being taken to guard against COVID-19 infections, he pointed out that “the majority of the people have complied with the established measures”.
The goring took place during the final event of the afternoon on Sunday, and it occurred around 30 minutes after the bull was released from its enclosure. The man, who was running from the bull, lost his footing and fell. When he got up the bull gored him, smashing him into a barrier, causing serious damage.
Running of the bulls festivities take place all across Spain, and they have their origins in the practice of transporting the animals from the fields where they were bred, to the bullring.
Recreational bull-running is thought to have begun in northeastern Spain in the early 14th century.
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