7 hurt in latest running of the bulls in Pamplona

Bulls roughed up seven people Sunday as they thundered down the rain-slicked cobblestone streets of Pamplona during the weeklong San Fermin festival, officials said.

Sunday's run - the seventh of the festival - featured six massive Miura bulls, traditionally the largest and fastest-running fighting bulls bred in Spain. Many of those running alongside the bulls had to dive for cover as the pack neared during the half-mile stretch from corral to the bullring, with some crushed, cut and bruised.

One man was smashed against a wooden crash barrier as the bulls rounded a bend on the course and skidded sideways into him. Another escaped a goring when he fell just in front of the charging animals.

Seven people were taken to Pamplona's two hospitals, including one with multiple injuries and three with chest injuries, said Dr. Ignacio Yurss, director of the Navarra Hospital in Pamplona.

A man from Scotland who suffered a skull injury was among the seven hurt Sunday. The rest were Spaniards, a local Navarra government statement said. None were gored.

The runs to the bullring from stables just outside the city's northern medieval walls take place at 8 a.m. daily and are the highlight of festivities made famous by Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises."

About half a dozen people running with the bulls have been gored so far, none seriously. A 26-year-old Colombian gored Saturday was recovering well after surgery, Dr. Yurss said.

Fourteen runners have died in the running of the bulls since record keeping began in 1924. The last person to die of a goring was a 22-year-old American, Matthew Tassio, in 1995.

Weekend crowd are always the largest, and Miuras are reserved for the Sunday bullfights. The final run is Monday.

The Miuras weigh between 1,350 and 1,500 pounds and are due to be fought and killed in the afternoon by professional matadors in Pamplona's bullring.

The festival in this ancient northern city, also known for its all-night street parties, dates back to the late 16th century.