Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

Video Credit: CEN/@pedroample

This is the moment a Spanish town mayor is flattened and injured by a large rolling ball that has replaced animals at the annual bull-run event.

The incident took place during the ‘boloencierro’ (‘ball running’) event in the town of Mataelpino in the central Spanish region of Madrid in the third such festival since austerity cuts forced the local authorities to replace bulls with a large rolling ball.

Mayor Javier de los Nietos was hit by the ball and suffered heavy bruising and cuts to the right side of his body as well as a hand injury that needed several stitches, according to local media.

Despite increased safety measures at this year’s event, which included the mandatory use of safety helmets, the heavy ball injured the mayor and four other people, according to reports.

The ball used in the first ball-running event weighed 200 kilogrammes (441 lbs) but the ball which flattened the mayor at this year’s event reportedly weighed 30 kilogrammes (66 lbs).

Reports said that there was a lighter ball used for a children’s event.

Despite the injuries, event spokesperson Jose Angel Conde said that “today’s ‘boloencierro’ has been a success, with 200 minors participating in the children’s event and over 150 runners in the adult version”.

Conde added that no one was seriously injured in the ball-running events.

In the video footage, a large crowd of people is seen running along a route in front of the large white ball.

The rolling ball suddenly clips a barrier on the side of the route and bumps into the mayor, sending him crashing to the ground.

Several onlookers rush to help the official, who is seen wearing a safety helmet as required under new guidelines for this year’s event.

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