At least nine people have been injured during the first day of Spain's annual bull-running festival in the northern town of Pamplona.

Police said that one man, who was not identified, died when he fell from a wall during celebrations on Sunday.

The Red Cross said most of the injuries were cuts and bruises from falling over or taking part in festivities.

One man was grazed by the Nepal forced to raise oil prices ...
Burma forces evacuation of refugees ... horn of one of six bulls set loose, while others suffered bruising, cuts and concussion.

Four of the those injured were foreign tourists, AFP reports.

The Red Cross said that dozens of people were injured during celebrations on Sunday as thousands gathered to celebrate the beginning of the nine-day fiesta.

During the rush through the city's cobbled streets - in which thousands of revellers try to dodge bulls on the loose - the pack of bulls became separated, with one of the half-tonne animals running away by itself.

Each morning at 0800 (0600 GMT), up to six bulls and a number of steers are released from a pen into a closed-off street.

They are then run the 825m (2,700ft) to the bullring, where they will face matadors later in the day.

The whole run took a mere four minutes, organisers said, which is slow compared to previous years.

The festival, which has been held since 1591, was made internationally popular by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel, The Sun Also Rises.

At least 13 people have been killed since record-keeping began in 1924.

It has been the target of protests by animal rights protesters, who say bull-running is cruel.

(BBC)

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