7-year-old girl injured in Spanish bull running event

A seven year old girl was taken to hospital in Zaragoza, central Spain, after being gored by a bull during a traditional bull-running event in the town of Alfamen on Tuesday evening, the Spanish press reported.

The girl was reported to be in a "serious but stable" condition after being gored in the buttock and the abdomen by a bull which was able to force its way through a barrier and a door which were meant to separate it from the watching public.

The girl was only able to escape further injury, and perhaps saved her life, by hiding underneath a car which was parked nearby.

Mayor of Alfamen, Alejandro Gil, described the incident as an "accident which was unfortunate but impossible to predict."

Gil said that "before the running of the bulls, we had checked all of the routes, something can always happen, but we have fulfilled all of the regulations which the (regional) Government of Aragon requires for this kind of event."

He also said that security at the event had been stepped up over the past five years.

The bull running at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona is perhaps the best known of the events, known as "encierros", to be held in Spain, but "encierros" are held in hundreds of small towns and villages in Spain over the summer as they celebrate their local "fiestas".

2015 saw over a dozen people lose their lives after being gored by bulls in such events and increasing numbers of local authorities are either cancelling events involving bulls or holding referendums to decide whether or not they should continue in the future. Endit