A fighting bull has gored three people and spread panic in a hair-raising final running of the bulls at Spain's San Fermin festival.
Hundreds of people dashed alongside the six bulls through the cobblestone streets of Pamplona in Monday's eighth run.
There were spine-chilling moments when one bull, named Olivito, separated from the pack and charged three runners, two Australians and a Spaniard, pinning them against walls and barriers while trying to gore them.
One of the injured Australian men is understood to be James Metcalfe, a 24-year-old from Grenfell in New South Wales who was gored in the right thigh. He has since been released from hospital.
The 595kg bull became separated from the herd after it slipped and crashed headlong into a wall. Seeming disorientated, it then charged a group of runners who thought they had avoided the stampede.
It then set its sights on one young man, believed to be a 26-year-old Australian called J.G., repeatedly butting him and pinning him against a wall.
As the man lifted his legs in a bid to protect himself from the onslaught, the bull thrust one of its horns through his left thigh, tearing off a large chunk of flesh.
He managed to escape to safety behind a wooden barrier, but not before the furious bull gored him again as he clambered over the fence at which point he was taken to hospital for surgery.
Festival spokeswoman Lucinda Poole described his condition as 'grave' having suffered injuries to his chest, abdomen and his left thigh.
'He is being operated on in traumatology in the hospital complex and they say the condition is grave, which translated to English probably means extremely serious,' Ms Poole said.
A 21-year-old Spaniard from Navarra was also gored three times.
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