San Fermin welcomes first run of bulls

Six injuries were reported during run, including two serious: 25-year-old New Zealander David MacDowell was gored in the thigh, and a Pamplona native, Ramon Garayoa, 46, fell and was trampled.

Photo: San Fermin welcomes first run of bulls

Other injuries included Frank Walls, a 44-year-old American from New York, who had facial injuries, and a British citizen who broke his wrist. None of the injuries was considered life-threatening, according to Pamplona city officials.

At 8 a.m. (0700 GMT), six bulls, each weighing about ѕ ton, stormed out of a corral where they spent the night, then zoomed up packed Cuesta Santo Domingo street at the start of the 825-yard (900-meter) run. They were accompanied by six castrated steers who know the route and are meant to keep the bulls in a single pack, according to the AP.

Hundreds of runners, all wearing the traditional white shirt and pants, and sporting red handkerchiefs, took turns dashing in front of them. Even the most experienced among them could only keep in front of the animals for a short distance.