French tourist killed by bull was in ‘wrong place at wrong time’

A TOURIST who was killed by a bull at a Spanish street festival was “in the wrong place at the wrong time” and had not realised he was in danger, according to his friends.

Pierre Cuomo, a 57-year-old from Billère, near Pau in southern France, was tossed into the air and then trampled by a bull in the town of Pedreguer, Alicante province, on July 9.

He died nine days later in hospital in Dénia from his injuries.

Witnesses told Spanish newspaper Levante that Mr Cuomo did not appear to understand that bulls were about to be released onto the street for daredevils to bait and dodge.

“He came out of a bar and stood by the metal barrier when a bull approached him,” said one eyewitness.

“He wasn’t a hothead; he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was not particularly against it, but he was not an aficionado of bullfighting or bullfights,” a friend of Mr Cuomo’s told the French newspaper Sud Ouest.

The incident took place at 2.30am, on the opening night of Pedreguer’s summer festival.

The town hall released a statement expressing “deep sorrow” for the tourist’s death as well as a report into the incident.

“Everything indicates that the tourist was holding onto the bars of the bull arena and did not realise the creature was present,” the report said, explaining that Mr Cuomo had suffered serious head and neck injuries.

Authorities in Pedreguer said that the festivities had been deemed a success, with 30 bulls running in the streets. Two people required hospital treatment, including Mr Cuomo.

Two other men in their 50s died this week from injuries sustained at street bull-running events in Valencia, in the towns of Meliana and Picassent.

Dozens were injured last week at Dénia festival Bous a la Mar, in which participants dodge fighting bulls on the harbour’s edge, prompting the animals to leap into the sea. The annual event draws particular criticism from Spanish animal rights campaigners.