Three people have died in 24 hours from wounds sustained during a bull-running festival in eastern Spain.
They all took part in the traditional buis al career (bull-running) of the Valencia region, when bulls charged through towns, often with people running ahead of them.
Animal rights groups have long complained of threats to the public and animals. He says that 20 people have died in this area in the last eight years.
Three people who died were severely injured during incidents in the past two weeks.
In one incident, in Picassant, south of the city of Valencia, a 56-year-old man standing behind a block in the middle of the road was thrown into the air by a bull and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He died at a hospital in Valencia on Tuesday, nine days after the incident.
A man aged 50 also died in hospital after a bull pierced his lungs in Meliana, north of Valencia. A 64-year-old French visitor died Monday from wounds sustained in Pedreguer down the coast.
The mayor of Meliana said that the bull was an animal, and such accidental accidents were a risk that people took. Incidents of racketeering have become a regular feature of bull-running in recent years.
The bull-run San Fermin in Pamplona, Spain’s most famous festival, suffered 35 injuries this year. It was organized for the first time in three years due to the COVID pandemic.
Spain’s Party for Animals (PACMA) reiterated its call for the abolition of bull festivals, criticizing the three Valencia festivals’ organisers for endangering residents’ lives and mistreating animals.
The Bos al Carrer season provides a much-needed boost to Valencia’s economy. A 2019 study found it created more than 3,000 jobs and brought in €300m with about 10,000 events annually.
