Authorities have reported the passing of a third individual at the Burning Man festival, following the recent announcement of two other fatalities during the annual gathering in the Nevada desert. The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office disclosed that Armando Ramirez from Truckee, California, passed away while en route to a hospital in Reno, Nevada, approximately 190 kilometers south of the festival. The 51-year-old was declared deceased in the ambulance in the early hours of Friday. The examiner’s office stated that the cause and manner of death are pending further testing, clarifying that foul play is not suspected.
The festival, known for its focus on art installations and self-expression, revealed the deaths of two other attendees last week, which were also confirmed by the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday. Craigh Mann, 60, was discovered deceased around 3 p.m. local time on Saturday. The festival mentioned that he was found in a trailer he shared with his significant other. Another festival-goer, a man in his mid-50s identified as Sampson Tshombe, suffered a medical emergency and was pronounced dead after receiving urgent medical attention at the festival’s temporary hospital on Thursday.
Authorities indicated that there were no indications of foul play in the deaths of Mann and Tshombe, but autopsies and toxicology screenings will be conducted, with results expected in six to eight weeks. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the festival, which commenced on August 30 and concluded on Monday. Each year, numerous individuals gather in the desert to camp and engage in avant-garde performances, culminating in the burning of a large wooden sculpture resembling a man.
While the festival has experienced fatalities in the past, with over seven deaths reported since its relocation from Baker Beach in San Francisco to the Black Rock desert in 1990, the authorities emphasized that the festival averages one death annually, according to NBC News citing Jerry Allen, Pershing County sheriff and coroner.