Running of the Bulls 2016: American runner gored and five others injured during Pamplona bull run

Incident takes place four days after Spanish bullfighter killed in the ring

Around 1,000 people took part in the 850m run through Pamplona’s old town (AP)

An American has been gored in the leg and five other runners injured in the penultimate running of the bulls in this year's Pamplona San Fermín festival.

The man was gored in the thigh after one of six bulls crashed into a group of runners near a fence on Wednesday morning. The bull then lifted two other runners into the air with its horns.

The Navarra regional government identified the American runner with the initials MLO and revealed he was 38 years old. A brief statement confirmed his condition was not serious.

Around 1,000 people took part in the 850m-run through Pamplona’s old town, which started at 8am local time. The event was televised on national television and lasted two and a half minutes.

A firecracker was lit to signal the release of the bulls from their enclosure. Participants sprinted alongside six fighting bulls through cobbled streets to the city’s bullring. The 1,300lbs (590kg) animals are then expected to participate in the afternoon’s bullfights.

Bull runs are a traditional event in summer festivals across Spain. The nine-day San Fermín festival has become Spain’s most famous after being immortalised in Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 "The Sun Also Rises".

During the festival, 12 people, including four Americans, have been gored in the running of the bulls. Since record-keeping began in 1924, 15 people have died from gorings at the festival.

Wednesday’s run took place four days after a Spanish bullfighter was gored to death in the ring – the first such incident in 30 years.

Like bullfighting, animal rights activists condemn the running of the bulls. This year, activists travelled to Pamplona to express their discontent.