Three dead in 24 hours from goring incidents at Spanish bull run festivals

Three men died in Valencia-area hospitals within a day of each other after participating in separate bull-running festivals.

In the span of a day, three men have died from wounds they sustained while participating in bull-running festivals in eastern Spain.

Bull-running festivals, or bous al carrer, see groups of people run in front of one or more fighting bulls as they charge through towns and are a long-standing Spanish tradition in the Valencia region, with many towns holding such events each year.

The controversial tradition has long faced criticism from animal rights groups who argue that the practice is dangerous both for the animals and the public.

The three men who died had all been receiving treatment in Valencia hospitals after being badly injured during events in the past two weeks.

In Picassent, a suburb south of the city of Valencia, a 56-year-old man was tossed in the air by a bull and suffered a traumatic brain injury. The BBC reports that he had been standing behind a block in the middle of the street when he was gored by the bull.

The man, who was a local resident of the town, died on Tuesday after spending nine days in intensive care for severe head trauma. Picassent held a day of mourning on Wednesday to commemorate his death.

Just north of the city of Valencia, in the suburb of Meliana, a man in his 50s also died on Tuesday after his lung was pierced by a bull.

The mayor of Meliana made a statement saying that accidents are a risk people must take to participate in the festivities.