Festival goers had to flee from accidentally released bulls

At a festival in the Spanish city of Gata de Gorgos, randomly released bulls chased people.

In the city, as part of the annual bullfighting festival, a parade was held in which young people dressed in traditional carnival costumes. After the parade, according to the tradition of Bous al Correr, bulls were to be released into the streets so that those who wish could try to dodge them. Due to a communication error, the animals were released from the pens ahead of time, immediately after the end of the parade.

Eyewitnesses captured on video the moment dozens of people saw the angry animals chasing them and rushing to the nearest shelter. Among them was a father in denim shorts, who, unsuspectingly, walked towards the bulls with a child in his arms. Seeing the frightened faces of those around him, the man abruptly turned around and ran.

There were many teenagers among the visitors of the festival. Some of the bystanders pressed against the wall of the underpass as the animals rushed past them.

The bulls did not attack the locals. As a result of the incident, no one was injured. In the end, however, the bulls were taken off the streets by police officers and civil protection services.

After the record of the incident went viral on social networks, the city leadership was forced to apologize. “The members of the commission for the holidays of 2023 and the mayor's office of Gata de Gorgos want to apologize for the events that took place at the bullfighting festival. All necessary measures have been taken to ensure that this does not happen again. We thank the first responders, civil protection volunteers and local police who acted professionally and effectively to prevent serious consequences, ”the message says.

The tradition of letting the bulls out into the streets while runners try to dodge them is popular in the Spanish region of Valencia. There have been many accidents at such events in recent years.