Mexico’s Pamplona turns into a bloodbath with two killed and 11 gored in bull-running disaster
Two people have died and eleven others were injured during Mexico's Huamantla Festival, a bull-running event in Tlaxcala state, around 100 miles east of Mexico City, that is regarded as one of the largest bullfighting festivals in the world. The fatalities are the first at the event in eight years, marking a grim milestone for a tradition that has taken place in Huamantla for 72 years and drew crowds to watch 21 fighting bulls released into the streets.
Among the dead were Juan Manuel Filomeno Herrera, 29, from Huamantla, and Luis Xolocotzi Ramirez, 57, who suffered a skull fracture and chest injuries before dying in hospital after being airlifted to a specialist facility. Another victim, José Andrés Hernández, 55, was gored repeatedly after climbing a fence and is reported to be in a stable condition with a head injury and leg wound. Footage from the event also showed a woman being tossed and gored in the face by a bull before escaping with facial injuries.
- Two killed, 11 injured at Mexico's Huamantla bull-running festival.
- First deaths at the 72-year-old event in eight years.
- 21 bulls released; victims suffered skull fractures and goring injuries.
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Two people have died and eleven have been injured at the Huamantla Festival in Tlaxcala state, roughly 100 miles east of Mexico City. The event, sometimes likened to Pamplona's running of the bulls, sees bulls released to run through the town's streets while crowds watch and sometimes try to evade or interact with them. It has been held for 72 years and is considered one of the largest events of its kind in the world.
This year's festival involved 21 fighting bulls being set loose. The deaths mark the first at the event in eight years, drawing attention to the risks such traditions carry for both participants and spectators who gather along the route.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Defenders of the Huamantla Festival and similar bull-running traditions argue that these events are a deeply rooted expression of local religious and cultural identity, sustained by community pride and freely chosen participation rather than imposed risk. They note that adults who take part generally understand and accept the dangers, much as people do in other risk-embracing pursuits, and that fatalities remaining rare over 72 years, with none in the preceding eight, suggests the event is not inherently reckless but rather one where tragedy is an occasional and unintended consequence. From this view, outside critics often underestimate the festival's communal and economic importance, and the proportionate response to this tragedy is improved safety measures rather than abolishing a cherished tradition.
The case against
Critics contend that deliberately releasing fighting bulls into streets crowded with untrained members of the public creates a foreseeable risk of death and serious injury that no amount of custom or enthusiasm can justify, and that organisers and local authorities bear a duty of care that arguably was not met here. They would point to the severity of the injuries, including a fatal skull fracture and repeated goring of a man who had climbed a fence to escape, as evidence that current safeguards are inadequate for the scale of danger involved. Many in this camp also raise concerns about the welfare of the bulls themselves, bred and driven into frightening, high-stakes encounters for entertainment. On this view, tradition should not place human safety, or animal welfare, permanently beyond the reach of reform or regulation.