Nine Injured in Spain's Running of the Bulls

PAMPLONA, Spain — Daredevils kicked off the running of the bulls yesterday with a long, messy, and particularly dangerous dash through the streets of Pamplona, with nine people suffering bumps and bruises but none gored, officials said.

The half-mile sprint through cobblestone streets turned chaotic because the pack of six half-ton beasts became separated early in the route after plowing into a crowd of people, some of them spectators.

Some of the bulls fell and two ended up running on their own. One of these became disoriented, trying several times to turn around and go back toward the starting point. But herders waving sticks eventually guided it to the bull ring where the course ends.

Inside the ring one black bull fell down and stayed there for nearly a minute, as jubilant runners scampered about.