At least three people, including a 61-year-old American, were hospitalized with injuries on the first proper day of Pamplona's famed Running of the Bulls festival. The incident occurred during the initial 8 a.m. run on July 7, 2026, which lasted two minutes and 16 seconds.
Medics confirmed the casualty toll shortly after runners put themselves in front of six fighting bulls and six steers as they sprinted through the half-mile course in the city's old town. The American sustained a head injury that hospital officials deemed not serious. Two Spanish nationals, aged 20 and 34, suffered leg and ankle injuries, respectively. A fourth person received on-site treatment, and a fifth sought medical attention but was not hospitalized. No gore injuries were reported.
Earlier in the day, a man believed to be around 70 years old died in a bar on Estafeta Street, which is part of the bull run course. He collapsed and went into cardiac arrest around 10:30 p.m. the previous night. His nationality is unknown, and his death is currently being linked to natural causes.
The festival officially kicked off on July 6 with the traditional Chupinazo opening ceremony, drawing thousands of participants dressed in white with red bandanas, who were reportedly soaked in wine and sangria. The daily "encierros," or bull runs, are the highlight of the nine-day San Fermin festival, which concludes on July 14. This year's bulls are from the Fuente Ymbro farm in southern Spain.
The Running of the Bulls was popularized by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel 'The Sun Also Rises.' Since record-keeping began in 1910, 16 people have died during the event. The most recent fatality was in 2009, when Daniel Jimeno, 27, was gored by a bull. Foreign nationals, including Americans, Australians, Britons, and Irish citizens, are frequently among those injured during the runs.