Chaotic San Fermin bull run in Pamplona injures 13 runners

Thirteen runners were injured when six bulls and their accompanying steers barreled through the packed streets of Pamplona during the fifth morning of the San Fermín festival, including one man who was pierced by a horn in the face. The chaotic run lasted about two and a half minutes from the pen to the bull ring, where the bulls were due to be killed by bullfighters later in the day.

Hospital officials treated the injured at the University of Navarra Hospital. Twelve others needed medical attention for knocks and other injuries after several runners stumbled, triggering pileups along the narrow street course. The crowd was thick with thrill-seekers pressed close to the route as the animals charged past in the northern Spanish city.

The San Fermín bull run remains one of Spain's most recognized and contested traditions, drawing a mix of experienced locals, novice runners and foreign tourists to Pamplona each July. That combination helps explain why injuries remain a recurring part of the event. Gorings and broken bones are described as common at the festival, even though the last death in the bull runs was in 2009.

The latest injuries sharpen the festival’s central risk paradox. San Fermín markets itself as a centuries-old celebration of tradition, but its signature spectacle still sends runners into a confined course with six bulls moving at speed and little margin for error. The run on Saturday showed how quickly a few missteps can turn a celebrated ritual into a medical emergency, with one facial goring and a string of lesser injuries in less than three minutes.