Pulp friction at annual tomato frenzy

ABOUT 40,000 Spaniards gathered in the eastern town of Bunol yesterday to hurl 115,000kg of tomatoes at each other in the annual Tomatina festival.

Bare-chested participants also included hundreds of mainly British, French and German tourists who were drenched in red juice in a riotous display of self-indulgence during one of the world’s messiest festivals.

The festival, since 2002 officially classed as part of Spain’s national heritage, goes back to 1945, when two participants in a carnival allegedly began hurling tomatoes at each other during a heated argument.