Spain bulls gore 2 in scary run, 5 more injured

PAMPLONA, Spain — Two people were gored Thursday during a tense and dangerous second running of the bulls at Spain's famed San Fermin fiesta, and at least five other people were hospitalized after falling or being trampled by the hulking beasts.

Thousands took part in the dash to keep ahead of six fighting bulls and six bell-tinkling steers who try to keep the bulls together in a tight pack along the 930-yard (850-meter) course from a holding pen to the northern town's bullring.

The run lasted just under four minutes and produced panic when some bulls separated from the pack. One stopped just before entering the bullring and paced in circles threateningly while staring at the runners.

Television images showed the first runner being gored in the chest and hurled to the cobblestones of a narrow street in Pamplona's historic old quarter. He remained on the ground dazed until he was taken away by rescue workers.

One man sustained serious injuries after being gored in the thorax, while a second man was gored in the left leg but was in better condition, said Fernando Boneta, a doctor at Navarra Hospital.

The more seriously injured man was a 22-year-old Spaniard, while the other goring victim was a 43-year old man from Britain, authorities said. The men were identified only by their initials.

Five more people were hospitalized in Pamplona for less serious injuries, mostly broken bones and bruises from falls as they ran, though TV images clearly showed other people being trampled. Those still hospitalized Thursday afternoon included a 48-year-old American, a 33-year-old Israeli and one Spaniard, the Navarra regional government said. Two other Spaniards were treated and released.

Thursday's gorings were the first for eight bull runs held during the nine-day street festival, which also features around-the-clock drinking that attracts tens of thousands of people eager to party.

Cody Harrington, 22, was amazed at the size of the 1,100-pound (500-kilogram) bulls as he ran alongside them for the first time.

"They were about up to my shoulders, and it was intense," the university student from Lake Tahoe, California said. "Once I saw them running right next to me I got to the side and it was shocking how big they were."

His 62-year-old father ran as well.