A Spanish award-winning matador has become the first bullfighter to die in the ring this century after he was gored to death live on television in front of horrified spectators.
Victor Barrio, 29, was killed when a bull’s horn pierced his chest in full view of bystanders as he competed in a fight in Tereul, in the eastern region of Aragon.
His shocking death was shown live on television and confirmed on the website of Madrid’s Las Ventas bullring, where he began as an apprentice in 2010.
Local media reported the 29-year-old rolled to the ground after a painful somersault as he was gored while attempting a maneuverer. He was pronounced dead at hospital.
His death is the latest in a number of bullfighting tragedies after a 28-year-old Spaniard was killed during a bull-run in the village of Pedreguer near Valencia.
A bull’s horn pierced his lung and heart as he attempted to help another runner during an event in which another man was killed last year.
Elsewhere, at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, a 33-year-old Japanese man was gored in the chest and a 24-year-old Spanish man in the arm during a run on Saturday.
A dozen other people suffered minor injuries, government officials confirmed.
The Japanese man was in a stable condition in hospital, a spokesman for the festival said.
The four-minute run in Pamplona featured six bulls from the Jose Escolar ranch, one of which separated from the rest and caused panic among the runners.
The daily bull-run along an 825-metre stretch of narrow streets in Pamplona's old town starts at 8am and usually lasts between three and five minutes.
There are eight runs in total during the festival.
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Over the past century 15 people have died in Pamplona's event, which dates back hundreds of years, according to a count on the unofficial San Fermin website. The last death was recorded in 2009.
Additional reporting by Reuters
