Matador gored to death live on Spanish television during controversial bullfight

Spaniards were faced with a horrifying sight on Saturday when a famous bullfighter, Víctor Barrio, was gored in the chest and killed live on television, NBC News reports.

The 29-year-old Barrio was in the ring with a bull named Lorenzo in the town of Teruel when the bull caught him with a horn that pierced his chest.

The fight was being broadcast live on television, where Lorenzo could be seen soaked in his own blood from lances that were thrust into him, which occurs during the process of a bullfight. The matador generally slaughters the bull with a sword at the end of the fight.

The sport is heavily criticized as cruel and barbaric, according to the BBC. However Barrio is the first matador killed during performance since the turn of the century.

during another bull-oriented tradition, the bull running in Pamplona.

Graphic photos posted by the Daily Mail show Barrio lying on the ground and the bull spearing him in his right side.