A runner was gored in the face and 11 others were hurt after bulls charged through the streets of Pamplona during the fifth running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival on Saturday, July 11, 2026. Many others narrowly avoided serious injury in the tumultuous event.
Chaotic Bull Run Leaves Multiple Injured
The six bulls, accompanied by steers, charged through crowds of adrenaline-seekers who filled the narrow street course. The massive beasts knocked participants onto the cobblestones, and tripping runners caused several pileups during the two-and-a-half-minute sprint from the pen to the bull ring, where the bulls will be slain later in the day. According to the University of Navarra Hospital, one runner was impaled by a horn in the face, and 12 others required medical attention for a variety of injuries.
Runner Gored in Face
A black bull separated from the herd early in the 957-yard run and barrelled into a group of people, striking one squarely in the side of the face with a horn. It was unclear if this was the moment of the goring. Many runners seemed entirely oblivious when bulls were breathing down their necks and, instead of attempting to gore them, simply pushed them aside.
Festival Context and Past Incidents
Saturday marked the fifth morning run of the eight-day festival in northern Spain. This year's festival marks 100 years since the publication of Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises, which catapulted the San Fermin festival to global renown. The last fatality at San Fermin's bull runs occurred in 2009, but gorings and fractures are frequent, partly due to the high number of novice bull runners and foreign tourists who join the seasoned locals. Last year, a British expat was rushed to hospital with a gored leg after he was rammed by a bull during a busy event in Pedreguer, Spain. The man, aged 47, was watching the performance when a bull charged at him, hurling him against a protective barrier and injuring his leg. A doctor said the man had also suffered major nose injuries.
Previous Day's Injuries
This incident came after five people were taken to hospital on the first day of the Running of the Bulls festival in Pamplona old town. The victims, all men aged between 21 and 49, were injured after the animal escaped. One man sustained a serious chest trauma injury and multiple rib fractures. One participant described the ordeal: “It was panic out there today. It’s a miracle if only one person ended up getting gored. It could have been into double figures.” One of the bulls, a 575-kilo (90 stone) animal named Caminante, became separated from the rest and threw one runner into the air, slamming him down onto the ground.
