A father-of-three from Spain has died, and another person injured after being gored by a bull during a Spanish street festival.
The 59-year-old man was killed during the Chiva muncipality in the eastern region of Valencia during the ‘Torico de la Cuerda’ (‘Running of the Bulls’) event, which ends on Monday.
Local media identified the man who lost his life as Vicente Asensio Martinez, with reports claiming he was gored twice in the abdomen and leg and died on the way to hospital.
The moment the bull charged at a group of people in a doorway, goring a man in red, was caught on camera.
A man in a blue top, who’s reported in Spanish media to be Martinez, appears to fall over the bull when attempting to get out the doorway, leaving him on the ground.
The angry bull attacks the father before dragging him several metres across the ground in the gruesome footage.
Reports say the man in the red shirt was taken to hospital where he was treated and released the same day.
Martinez reportedly worked for Sanchis Bergon-Turia Commission, prompting colleagues to post messages of condolence on social media.
One colleague wrote:
We will always remember you Vicente. For anyone who knew you, it was a privilege to share and enjoy your company.
The publication reports commission president Juanjo Farinas said the victim is the father of three daughters who live in Valencia and was holidaying in Chiva.
Despite Martinez’s death, festival organisers decided to go ahead with the event, however the city council observed a two minute silence to honour him.
The council has since insisted that the event ‘had all the security measures and insurance required by law.’
It’s not clear what caused the bull to run aggressively into the crowd, but the event’s website claims that all the animals are returned to their breeders after the festival comes to an end.
This comes after a man bled to death after being repeatedly gored by a bull at the El Pinós fiestas in Alicante.
According to event organiser Francisco Albert, the man, thought to be from Petrer, was a professional working at the festival, who knew the risks associated with working with bulls.
People in Spain are divided over the use of bulls at fiestas, with bullfighting regularly cited as a tradition of Spanish culture dating back centuries.
However, the practice has come under heavy scrutiny in recent years because of the sheer volume of injuries caused to humans and bulls involved.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.