Bull runner is smashed into the air then repeatedly gored after slipping and getting trapped beneath safety barrier as he taunted beast at Spanish festival

This is the astonishing moment a bull runner was seriously injured as he was thrown into the air by a bull and repeatedly gored while laying helpless on the ground at a Costa Blanca festival. 

Horrific footage showed the animal punching its horn into the youngster's right leg and bending it back and forth at knee-level as he tried to reach safety behind a barrier after being up-ended.

Spectators tried to divert the bull's attention by pulling on its tail and yelling - although one appeared to think it might be a good idea to try to buckle the animal's legs by kicking them repeatedly. The powerfully-built bull didn't even flinch as it was attacked from behind.

Another man then risked upsetting the bull again by kicking it in the backside after it had appeared to calm down.

The ugly scenes unfolded yesterday on the first night of the famous fiestas in Calpe near Benidorm where bulls are let loose on the streets in so-called Bous al Carrer.

The bull runner stood no chance against the huge animal running through the streets

In shocking scenes, the man is repeatedly gored by a bull during a Bous al Carrer run

Spectators flinch as the bull runner is gored on the streets during a festival near Benidorm

Some stepped in to try to help the man, but were no match for the bull's sheer strength

The extent of the victim's injuries have not yet been made public but have been described locally as serious.

He remained in hospital today. His nationality is not known.

The most famous festival involving bulls is the San Fermin festival in the northern Spanish town of Pamplona which takes place every July.

Dozens of runners, including tourists especially Americans, are injured every year as they are chased through the streets of the old town.

The Calpe event is popular with Brit expats and holidaymakers. Bulls are let loose in the old town as part of celebrations which go on practically 24 hours a day.

Festivals involving bulls remain hugely popular in Spain despite bullfighting losing its appeal with the country's younger generations.

Last September father-of two Jose Antonio Subies, 61, died at a hospital in Valencia after suffering gore injuries which affected his liver and one of his lungs at a festival in nearby La Pobla de Fornals.

Mr Rubies was a high-ranking executive for ceramic wall and floor tiles firm Pamesa.

And last July, the so-called Messi of Matadors was severely injured after being thrown off balance by a 467kg bull during an event in Santiago.

Andrés Roca Rey, 26, sustained multiple injuries and bruises covering his body after being gored and was immediately taken to hospital on July 25.

The bull charged at the Peruvian, dragging him back to the barriers around the stadium and throwing him into the air.

He was left slumped against the boards as others jumped in to try to distract the bull and pull him to safety.

The Medical Service of Santander's Plaza de Toros issued two reports, referring to a 'polytrauma affecting the left knee' and 'multiple bruises on the neck, face, right thigh and left knee'.

The animals are often tortured before the run to incite them in creating a spectacle

With some weighing more than 1,000lbs, the bull continued despite attempts to pull it off

Horrifying scenes showed spectators pulling the bull's tail as it attacked

Between 50 and 100 attendees are injured in bull runs alone each year. 

The events also have horrific consequences for the animals involved. 

Animal rights group PETA warns that even in Running of the Bulls events, the bulls are killed after the 'show'.

During the July festival in San Fermin, a total of 48 bulls are tortured and killed over the course of a week, they say.

And at the start of the show, the animals are intentionally panicked by launching a rocket to terrify them, before shouting spectators agitate the bull into running.

The animals often then fall or crash headfirst while running at speed, causing horrific injuries.