Thousands in Pamplona, Spain for Annual Bull Run

The traditional running of the bulls festival in Pamplona, Spain has claimed its first fatality.

Spanish police say a young man was killed when he fell off a stone wall that surrounds the center of town. His identity has not been released.

Fireworks marked the start of the annual San Fermin festival in Pamplona Sunday, which is known around the world for its running of the bulls.

Young men and women dressed in white with red scarfs run though the narrow cobblestone streets pursued by six bulls.

The runners try to avoid the animals' deadly horns as they lead them into the ring for bullfights.

Animal rights activists are also out on force in Pamplona, condemning the bull run and bullfighting as cruel.

The Pamplona bull run was made famous in the 1926 Ernest Hemmingway novel The Sun Also Rises.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.