The man, identified locally as Eustaquio Martín, died on Saturday, February 14 on the first night of the local Carnaval del Toro (Carnival of the Bull) festival
“Carnaval del Toro” takes place every year in Ciudad Rodrigo, near Salamanca(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A 71-year-old man has sadly died in Spain after being gored by a bull during a bullfighting festival last week.
According to officials in Ciudad Rodrigo, located near Salamanca in northwestern Spain, the man — identified as Eustaquio Martín, by local outlet La Gaceta — died on Saturday, February 14. His death occured following an incident on the first night of the local Carnaval del Toro (Carnival of the Bull) festival.
Martin was a popular member of the local bullfighting community who worked at the festival each year. At the time of his death he was reportedly in a bullring at around 1am local time on Saturday during the first nighttime bullfighting event of the festival when an animal charged him. During the savage attack the bull pierced the upper part of his ribcage causing “catastrophic” bleeding.
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Dr. Enrique Crespo told the outlet that the bleeding was “uncontrollable and catastrophic.” He was rushed to a local hospital but sadly, despite best efforts, he died as a result of his injuries. The doctor said: “The wound, in the center of his chest, left his heart partially destroyed and half a lung damaged.”
Following Martín’s death, Ciudad Rodrigo Mayor Marcos Iglesias Caridad confirmed the fatal accident in a social media post. Writing on Facebook he said: “As you know from the media, sadly sadly a countryman of ours, very dear, has died in the night capea. We send a hug to his family and friends and are with them in their grief. At 11 o’clock, just before the Toro del Antruejo, we will keep in the area of the Pinos a minute of silence. R.I.P.”
Photos shared by the mayor from the vigil and moment of silence to honor Martín showed a crowd gathered in a town square, as people present lowered their heads in honor of 71-year-old Martín.
This incident marks the first death at the Carnaval del Toro in 40 years, following the 1986 incident in which a man named Miguel Ángel Garzón died during a bullfighting event.
The festival’s official Facebook page shared a statement about the incident, writing: “It’s one of the things we would have NEVER liked to see or live. We are shocked. It’s something we knew was happening in the libraries. Remembering that date in ’86 started to result from another era, another way to understand our Carnival.
“We saw so many [participants] always saved by the formidable medical teams we have. It seemed like this would never happen again,” the festival wrote. “This is why the shock is hard to digest. A big hug to the family.”
