Nine injured, one gored, as La Palmosilla bulls charge in a tense, crowded sixth San Fermín run
A mass of runners on a Sunday morning created a crowded and dangerous course in Pamplona. One man sustained a penetrating wound to his elbow from a bull's horn, while eight others suffered contusions.
The run unfolds
The sixth running of the bulls at the 2026 San Fermín festival, featuring animals from the Cádiz-based La Palmosilla ranch, was completed in two minutes and 23 seconds. The starting pen at Santo Domingo released a compact herd, but the bulls quickly stretched out and separated, with the speed imposed by the oxen and bulls creating early chaos. The heavy turnout of runners, coinciding with a Sunday, led to frequent falls and a feeling of overcrowding along the narrow streets.
The herd left compact from the Santo Domingo pen, but the speed imposed by the oxen and the bulls soon stretched out the drove.
Injuries and medical response
A provisional medical report issued by Arantxa Arteche, surgical deputy director of the University Hospital of Navarra, counted nine people requiring attention. One runner was treated at the Plaza de Toros for a penetrating elbow wound caused by a bull's horn. Five people with contusions were transferred to the University Hospital of Navarra, and three others were taken to the Doctor San Martín clinic. The injuries occurred primarily on the Estafeta, Telefónica, and Mercaderes stretches.
Of these nine incidents, three of those affected will need to be transferred to the San Martín Clinic; five, to the University Hospital of Navarra, and one was treated at the Plaza de Toros.
Moments of danger
The most critical moment happened in the final section. Approaching the Telefónica stretch and the descent into the callejón, the bulls accelerated. One animal veered right and plowed into a large group of runners, knocking a man several meters forward. Another bull charged a group of people who were already on the ground at the entrance to the bullring, lingering for a few seconds in what reports described as the most perilous moment of the race.
One of them charged a group of runners, lingering for a few seconds that represented the greatest moment of danger of the entire morning.
The course and the bulls
Despite the injuries, the La Palmosilla bulls displayed the breed's characteristic nobility, generally continuing their course even after colliding with fallen runners. The City Hall square was the best place for stylish runs, as the herd split slightly, giving experienced runners room to sprint ahead of the horns. The six bulls weighed between 555 and 590 kilos. In the afternoon corrida, the same animals will be fought by matadors Fortes, Fernando Adrián and Samuel Navalón.
Ongoing hospitalizations
Two runners from earlier runs remain hospitalized. A 30-year-old from Alicante, who was gored in the face on Saturday, underwent emergency surgery for a mandibular fracture. A 65-year-old Spanish man is also still in hospital with a bilateral pneumothorax; his condition is reportedly improving.
- Herd leaves compact but stretches quickly; first falls among runners.
- Runners exhibit quality sprints ahead of the horns as the herd begins to split.
- Falls multiply; one bull takes the inside of the curve while others crash into outer boards.
- Best running of the morning as the split herd allows experienced runners to find gaps.
- Bulls accelerate; one charges right into a crowd, another charges people on the ground. The run's most dangerous phase.
- Bulls enter the ring; one stumbles, recovers, and joins the others in the pens. The runner with the gored elbow is treated.
