Matador ‘trips on his cloak’ and is fatally gored during a French bullfight

A matador was killed on Saturday during a bullfight in France.

Local media based near the town of Aire-sur-l’Adour in southwestern France say that Ivan Fandiño was fatally gored in the lung by a horn. The BBC furthermore reports that Fandiño “caught his feet in his cloak and fell to the floor,” where he was attacked by the bull.

Renowned Spanish bullfighter Ivan Fandino died in hospital after being gored by a bull during a fight in France https://t.co/2hIPvH7AAy pic.twitter.com/0tykgBmBSM

— AFP news agency (@AFP) June 18, 2017

The matador, 36 and originally from the Spanish Basque region, suffered two heart attacks in the ambulance en route to hospital. He later died in the Mont de Marsan, about 100km east of Bayonne, a medical source told AFP. Fandiño is seemingly the first matador to die in France in close-to a century. He leaves behind a wife and young daughter.

No importa lo fuerte que puedas golpear, importa lo fuerte que puedan golpearte y seguir avanzando. pic.twitter.com/kfnB2q0sKB

— Ivan Fandiño (@ivanfandino) September 11, 2016

Earlier during the bullfighting event, Fandiño defeated another bull – being awarded with the animal’s cut-off ear, in line Spanish bullfighting tradition. He had previously been badly injured in conquests in 2015 and 2014. About 1,000 bulls are killed annually during bullfighting festivals in France. Back in February, Fandiño had tweeted an image of where he trains - referring to the hours he spent practising there his "dream". He added that he didn't know what the future held - but that he knew he would shape it.

El rincón de mis sueños, aquí paso las horas. No sé lo que me deparará el futuro, pero si sé lo que yo le entregaré. pic.twitter.com/ZScRqeuluM

— Ivan Fandiño (@ivanfandino) February 22, 2017

Humane Society International said in response: "The matador's death is a tragedy but for the 1,000 bulls brutally killed in French bullfights every year, every single fight is a tragedy in which they have no chance of escaping a protracted and painful death. "Bloodsports like this should be consigned to the history books, no-one should lose their life for entertainment, human or animal."