Man gored to death by bull at festival in Spain

Animal’s horn struck artery in victim’s thigh

The use of bulls for entertainment is coming under increased scrutiny in Spain (File photo) (AFP)

A man has bled to death after being gored at a bull-running festival in Spain.

The 55-year-old was attacked repeatedly on Saturday by a bull whose horn caught him in the left thigh, puncturing an artery. He also suffered a head injury.

Other festival-goers in the eastern Spanish town of Onda tried and failed to distract the animal before the victim was taken to hospital in nearby Villareal where he died after losing too much blood.

It was the first bull-running fatality in the country since such events resumed after the relaxation of Covid-19 rules in the summer.

Onda’s town council cancelled all further bull-running activities at the festival, which was due to end on Sunday.

A public debate over whether bull-running festivals should be banned has heated up in recent years, and only a small number have taken place since Spain's coronavirus restrictions were lifted.

A 2020 survey by polling company Electomania found that 46.7 per cent of Spaniards were in favour of banning bullfighting, while 34.7 per cent were not in favour of the practice but did not back a legal ban, and 18.6 per cent believed it should be preserved.

As a sign of the tradition’s waning support, when Spanish teenagers were given a €400 (£338) government grant to spend on cultural activities earlier this month, they were banned from using it to attend bullfighting events.

Additional reporting by Reuters