Bulls Injure 31 at Spanish Festival

Six bulls left a trail of 31 injured runners on Tuesday on the cobblestone streets of Pamplona during a 900-yard run that lasted a record 7 minutes, 45 seconds.

A New Zealander and five Spaniards underwent surgery for serious horn injuries, the largest toll since the eight-day running of the bulls began July 7.

The six bulls were to face top matadors in the ring later in the day in the annual event made famous in Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel “The Sun Also Rises.”

American twins John and James Riley were among those treated for bull-inflicted injuries during the chase, which dates from 1591 and honors St. Fermin, patron saint of the city. A spokesman for the U.S. Consulate in Bilbao said James Riley suffered a broken collarbone and his brother was treated for multiple cuts and bruises.

Fourteen people have died of gorings this century, but the tally of bruises, cuts and broken bones reaches the hundreds each year.

Municipal police weed out drunks shortly before the 8 a.m. chase begins. Women are banned from the run.