A man has died after being gored at a bull running festival in Spain, authorities have said.

The 55-year-old was repeatedly attacked by the animal at the event in Onda, in eastern Spain, on Saturday, according to the town’s council.

He suffered a wound to his left leg and a head wound and bled to death from his injuries, emergency services said.

Other participants at the festival had attempted to entice the bull away but to no avail.

Despite efforts by medics to treat him, the man died in hospital after haemorrhaging blood from a wound in his left thigh that perforated an artery, emergency services said.

The man’s death is the first such fatality in Spain since bull running events resumed following the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions.

It comes following several incidents of serious injuries at bull running festivals in the country.

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In 2019, one man was gored and five others were injured in the famous Pamplona bull run, while 28 people were injured at the same event in 2018.

In 2015, a French tourist died after being gored during a festival in the town of Pedreguer, Alicante.

Debate over whether the festivals should be abolished has grown in Spain in recent years. The animals let loose for the runs are generally used in bull fights later in the same day.

A 2020 survey by polling company Electomania found that 46.7% of Spaniards were in favour of banning bullfighting, 34.7% were not in favour of the events but did not back a legal ban, and 18.6% believed it should be preserved.

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