The fifth running of the bulls at San Fermín 2026 in Pamplona left fourteen men injured, including one runner who suffered a penetrating facial wound from a bull’s horn. The Hospital Universitario de Navarra reported the injuries. Medical attention was needed at several points along the encierro route, which runs through Pamplona’s streets to the bullring.
The most severe case involved S.M.L., a 30-year-old from Alicante, who was gored in the face in the Mercaderes section. In the same area, W.M., a 24-year-old from Navarra, suffered a knee injury. At Telefónica, J.I.H., 28, from Bilbao, lost consciousness and was diagnosed with a neck hematoma. At Telefónica Norte, M.V.G., 23, from Navas (Barcelona), received treatment for an elbow injury.
At the Plaza de Toros, W.S.G., 24, from Quintanaortuño (Burgos), sustained an ankle fracture. Two runners received medical attention in Espoz y Mina: A.L.F., 25, from Alicante, for a left ankle contusion, and J.M.P., 24, from Valencia, for a twisted ankle without trauma. In Santo Domingo, J.S.V., 74, from Pamplona, suffered abrasions to both knees and hands, while D.G.E., 31, from Burgos, was evaluated for trauma. At Ayuntamiento, DTM, 50, from Navarra, was diagnosed with a rib fracture. Other reported injuries included contusions and sprains. The Doctor San Martín clinic treated four runners: one for a non-penetrating facial wound, two for leg contusions and one for an arm injury.
Two participants injured during the previous day’s encierro remained hospitalized in serious condition. M.C.M., 65, from Castro del Río (Córdoba), was in intensive care with bilateral pneumothorax after an injury at the Plaza de Toros. F.G.L., 63, from Zizur Mayor, suffered a hip fracture in Santo Domingo. Their cases were separate from the injuries reported after the fifth running.
Medical support was positioned along the route at 17 emergency posts, roughly 50 metres apart. Nine were staffed by doctors and nurses, with lifeguards also on duty; eight served as additional support points. The Plaza de Toros has its own infirmary. Sixteen advanced ambulances were deployed, backed by eight doctors and eight nurses. The response also included 21 transport technicians, 47 lifeguards, nine communications operators and eight post coordinators. The 112-SOS Navarra centre coordinated the operation, drawing on resources from Cruz Roja and DYA, as well as the Servicio Navarro de Salud-Osasunbidea and Bidean. Teams treated patients at the scene and transported them to hospital by ambulance.
The encierro puts runners in close proximity to fighting bulls on a confined urban route. Falls and collisions can cause blunt-force injuries, alongside horn wounds, fractures or sprains. Crowding and the animals’ movement can change conditions rapidly from one section to the next. Earlier in the festival, a runner from Bizkaia withdrew after suffering an ankle sprain in a crowded section, as detailed in this report on the challenges faced by experienced participants.
Route-side medical posts and the bullring infirmary work alongside ambulance crews, with 112-SOS Navarra coordinating the response. The injuries reported after the fifth running show the range of demands on those teams, from abrasions and contusions to fractures and a penetrating facial wound.
