Authorities have confirmed the passing of a third participant 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, located approximately 190 kilometers south of the festival. The 51-year-old was declared deceased in the ambulance during the early hours of Friday. The cause and circumstances of his death are awaiting further test results, with no suspicion of foul play involved.
The festival, known for its art installations and emphasis on self-expression, reported two additional deaths last week, a fact corroborated by the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday. Craigh Mann, aged 60, was discovered deceased on Saturday around 3 p.m. local time within a trailer he shared with his partner, as outlined in the festival’s statement. Another attendee, identified as Sampson Tshombe, in his mid-50s, suffered a medical emergency and was later pronounced dead after receiving urgent medical attention at the festival’s temporary medical facility on Thursday.
Authorities have assured that there were no indications of foul play in the deaths of Mann and Tshombe. Nonetheless, both cases will undergo autopsy and toxicology screenings, with results expected in six to eight weeks. This year celebrates the festival’s 40th anniversary, commencing on August 30 and concluding on Monday. The event typically draws tens of thousands of individuals to camp in the wilderness and engage in unconventional performances, culminating in the burning of a large wooden effigy resembling a man.
Tragically, deaths have occurred in past editions of the festival. Since its relocation from Baker Beach in San Francisco to the Black Rock Desert in 1990, over half a dozen fatalities have been recorded at Burning Man. Pershing County Sheriff and Coroner Jerry Allen mentioned in a statement that the festival historically sees an average of one death annually, according to NBC News.