Madrid, April 22: Spain's best-known bull running festival in the northern town of Pamplona has been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, Pamplona city hall said Tuesday.

Hundreds of thousands of people typically attend the centuries-old San Fermin celebration, which sees half-tonne fighting bulls chase hundreds of daredevils, many wearing traditional white shirts and scarves, though the narrow streets of the city each morning.

"As expected as it was, it still leaves us deeply sad," the acting mayor of Pamplona, Ana Elizalde, told a news conference after the municipal council agreed to suspend the event which is held each year between July 6 and 14.

"In this context there is no place for fireworks, bullfights or bull runs. We are supposed to wear masks, keep a social distance -- measures that are incompatible with what San Fermin is."

People flock to the city from all over the world to test their bravery and enjoy the festival's mix of round-the-clock parties, religious processions and concerts.

Spain has been in a nationwide lockdown since March 14 to fight the spread of the coronavirus, which has so far killed almost 21,300 people, the third-highest official toll after the United States and Italy.

Peter N. Milligan, a 50-year-old lawyer from Colorado who has run with the bulls 99 times at San Fermin, had been planning to return to Pamplona this year but he cancelled his flight in February.

"I was expecting this. Considering the stay at home rules, I would imagine the city would have been overrun if they decided to proceed. Seems like a very smart decision," he told AFP.

"I know this cancellation will be devastating to our friends economically in Pamplona. Fiesta is a tough time to stay healthy under the best of circumstances," added Milligan, who wrote a book about his experiences at the fiesta.

The San Fermin festival, which dates back to medieval times and was immortalised in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises", was last called off in 1997 after Basque separatist group ETA assassinated a local politician.

Sixteen people have been killed in the bull runs since officials began keeping track in 1910, most recently in 2009 when a 27-year-old Spaniard was gored in the neck, heart and lungs.

The pandemic has also forced the suspension or postponement of major events such as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the Coachella music festival in southern California, and the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 22, 2020 12:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).