MADRID, Spain -- A 55-year-old man lost his life on Saturday after being gored by a bull in a traditional bull running event in the town of Onda in eastern Spain, leading to the cancellation of the remaining event, local authorities announced on Sunday.
The man died after one of the bull's horns punctured an artery in his left leg.
It was the first fatality since the traditional annual event returned to Spain following the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions, yet highlighting once again the danger of the event, which has claimed 17 lives over the past seven years, with 2015 being the worst year with seven deaths, according to Spanish TV network La Sexta.
The bull running event in the Valencia region of eastern Spain, known as 'bous al carrer' (running bulls), normally see bulls set free in a sectioned-off part of a town to show local people's courage in facing wild beasts.
Around 300 towns hold this kind of events every year.