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A 25-year-old woman has died after a bull broke through a barrier and charged spectators during a running of the bulls in northern Spain. The incident at the Toro con Soga festival in Lodosa has prompted two days of official mourning in the town and renewed attention to the risks of these traditional events.
How the accident unfolded
The incident occurred on Sunday, 27 September, during the annual Toro con Soga Festival in Lodosa, Navarra. According to local reports, the bull forced its way past a wooden barrier and entered an area between the barriers and the spectator stands.
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Woman killed after bull breaches barrier at Spanish festival
The victim, identified as Leire San Pedro, 25, from Bilbao, was standing beneath a staircase in that zone when she was struck by the animal. She sustained a severe head injury and was first taken to a local health centre before being transferred to a hospital in Pamplona, where she was admitted to intensive care. She died on Wednesday.
San Pedro was described as a regular attendee and a member of Peña Lodosa por el Toro, a local group that supports the event. Lodosa authorities announced two days of mourning and said flags would be flown at half-mast following the death.
Wider context: several recent fatalities
The festival runs on weekends throughout September and is scheduled to finish on 12 October. Organisers and residents now face the reality that San Pedro’s death is the sixth bull-related fatality reported in Spain this year.
- In February, a 65-year-old man was killed by a horn wound during a night-time encierro in Salamanca.
- In April, a retired matador died after being struck by a bull in Malaga.
- Later in April, a 33-year-old bull breeder was killed in Beas de Sagura during the “Toros Engorados.”
- In August, a 21-year-old who was struck by a cow during a traditional run in Castellon died from a severe head injury.
- Just weeks before the Lodosa incident, a 64-year-old woman was gored and later died following a bull run in Albacete, when the animal charged outside the barricades.
The repeated fatal accidents this year underline the dangers posed by live-animal runs, which remain a longstanding tradition across many Spanish towns and villages. Authorities in Lodosa have not announced any immediate changes to this year’s programme, but the town’s mourning period reflects the gravity of the latest tragedy.
