More than 20,000 people have pelted each other in the street with tomatoes in this year's "Tomatina" as the Spanish event celebrates its 70th birthday.

At the annual fiesta in the eastern town of Bunol on Wednesday, 175 tons of ripe tomatoes were offloaded from seven trucks into the crowd packing the streets for an hour-long battle.

The tomato fight leaves the participants and the town's streets awash with red pulp. The town is hosed down minutes after the event ends at noon, while participants can use public showers.

The paid-entry event was inspired by a food fight between local children in 1945 in the tomato-producing region.

Reflecting its worldwide popularity, Google dedicated its search engine doodle to the fiesta.

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Text from the AP news story, 70th annual tomato battle leaves Spanish town red, by Alberto Saiz. 

 

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