Young Bullfighter Gored to Death During Debut Performance in Lisbon Bullring

Trindade was a young but celebrated forcado - the name of a kind of Portuguese fighter who deliberately provokes a bull into charging

A 22-year-old bullfighter was gored to death during his first-ever performance in front of thousands of spectators in Lisbon, with a member of the audience also later dying following the shocking incident.

A video from the fight shows the victim run towards the enormous bull to provoke the animal into charging

Manuel Maria Trindade, 22, was making his debut Friday at the Campo Pequeno bullring before nearly 7,000 spectators when he faced a 1,500-pound bull. As he ran toward the animal, he hesitated, and the bull charged directly at him. Trindade attempted to grab its horns to slow the beast, but the bull lifted him up and carried him across the arena.

The 695-kilogram beast ran at high speed towards Trindade, who attempted to grab onto the animal's horns and gain control

Other bullfighters rushed in to help but struggled to stop the attack as the animal repeatedly struck Trindade, who lay motionless on the ground. The bull was finally distracted when others pulled on its tail and shined lights into its eyes.

Paramedics rushed to the scene, but Trindade sustained severe head trauma and went into cardiorespiratory arrest. He was declared brain dead upon arrival at the hospital and died on Saturday.

But in a matter of seconds Trindade was hoisted up into the air by the storming bull and thrown against the wall of the arena

The tragedy deepened when Vasco Morais Batista, 73, an orthopedic surgeon who was in the audience, collapsed shortly after witnessing the fatal goring. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died, reportedly from an aortic aneurysm.

Trindade was continuing a family tradition by pursuing bullfighting and followed in his father's footsteps who was also a forcado with the São Manços group

Following her son’s death, Trindade’s mother, Alzira, issued an open letter condemning animal rights activists who celebrated the tragedy. She accused critics of mocking her son’s death because of his participation in bullfighting, a controversial sport in Portugal.

Trindade’s mother slammed trolls she accused of celebrating her son’s death

“My son belonged to a group of brothers who wear a jacket with honor and bravery. These groups never harmed a bull; they handled it skillfully,” she wrote, defending his legacy against online abuse.

Portuguese bullfighting, unlike the Spanish version, is traditionally bloodless, with the aim being to subdue the bull rather than kill it. Forcados, like Trindade, attempt to grab the charging bull by its horns and wrestle it to a halt. Typically, the horns are padded with leather to reduce injuries, though it remains unclear if that was the case in this fatal event.

The animal was finally subdued by a bullfighter pulling its tail and others holding up bright capes in its eyeline

Despite claims of being less cruel than Spanish bullfighting, the tradition remains under fire from animal rights groups and political parties in Portugal, who continue to push for a nationwide ban.