A 36-year-old matador has been killed by a bull in France after tripping on his cape and being impaled by a horn.
Prize bullfighter Ivan Fandino, who had been a professional for 12 years, died in hospital after suffering from a punctured lung yesterday.
The Spaniard, from the Basque region, leaves behind a wife and daughter after his death in the bullring at Mont-de-Marsan, France.
'It's a tragedy,' said a shocked colleague. 'We just do not know how it could have happened.'
Horrified spectators looked on as Fandino tripped and was gored by the bull, which also launched him into the air.
He was using his cape in a turn to engage and distract the specially-bred fighting bull, and the animal then pierced the matador's side with one of his horns.
His wounds were so serious, it is understood his heart stopped while he was in an ambulance.
Tributes are flooding in on the social network sites, with rancher Victorino Martin tweeting: 'Our friend and great bullfighter Ivan Fandino dies in France. A great loss for the world of bullfighting. We are dismayed.'