On Tuesday, two runners were injured during the third bull run at Pamplona’s traditional Festival of San Fermín in northern Spain.

Few people were hurt compared to previous races, and five to six participants ended up in hospital, according to state TV station RTVE commentators.

Hundreds of people chase massive bulls into an arena in races held until Sunday as part of the annual festival, which dates back to the 16th century.

The bulls were corralled into Pamplona’s bullring, where matadors then killed them during bullfights.

While the festival dedicated to the Catholic Saint Fermín includes numerous concerts and processions, the bull runs and bullfights are the highlight of the festivities.

Dozens of runners, most young men, are injured yearly as they race along the 875-metre course. There have been 16 fatalities since 1924, the last in 2009.

Animal rights activists call the bull runs “medieval cruelty” and say it must be halted immediately.

”It is nothing more than panicked animals trying to escape through crowds of people screaming,” they said.

Despite this, the festival continues to attract thousands of visitors from all over the world.

(dpa/NAN)