The opening bull run of the 2026 San Fermín festival in Pamplona drew thousands of spectators on Tuesday but ended in widespread injuries and the death of a 72-year-old man. The bulls from the Fuente Ymbro ranch, weighing between 570 and 610 kilograms, sprinted the 848-metre course in just over two minutes, roughly 20 seconds faster than last year's opening run.
No runners were gored by the bulls' horns, but paramedic service DYA Navarra carried out 130 medical interventions across the festival's first day, with 35 people requiring hospital transfers. Among those hospitalized were an American man and two Spaniards, including a 61-year-old American runner treated for a mild traumatic brain injury.
A 72-year-old man died of cardiorespiratory arrest at a bar on Estafeta Street, one of the main thoroughfares along the running route. The nine-day festival, one of Spain's most internationally recognized traditions, continues through 14 July.