Hundreds of thrill-seekers were chased Monday by six half-ton beasts through 850 meters of the town's cobblestone streets, the highlight of the centuries-old San Fermin festival.

It was not immediately clear how the injuries were sustained. But accounts from the scene say no one was gored and that several of the bulls became separated and disoriented during the four-minute run.

Police Monday identified an Irish national who died Sunday, after falling from the 30-meter-high wall that encircles the ancient center of Pamplona. Authorities say the victim, Aidan Holly was under the influence of alcohol when he fell.

Monday's run is the first of eight scheduled during the week-long festival, which was immortalized in Western literature by Ernest Hemingway in his 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises."

Several of the bulls fell during Monday's run. The beasts face matadors each afternoon of the festival, in fights that in recent years have come under criticism from animal rights activists.

Source: By VOA News