Authorities have verified the passing of a third Burning Man festival attendee, following the recent announcement of two other deaths during the annual event in the Nevada desert. The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office disclosed that Armando Ramirez from Truckee, California, passed away while being transported 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 cause and circumstances of Ramirez’s death are awaiting further test results, as confirmed by the examiner’s office, with no suspicions of foul play. The festival, known for its art installations and self-expression, revealed two additional deaths last week, which were also officially confirmed by the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday.
Craigh Mann, 60, was discovered deceased on Saturday around 3 p.m. local time in a statement released by the festival. The sheriff’s office, identifying him as Craig Mann, mentioned that he was found in a trailer he shared with his partner. Another festival-goer, a man in his mid-50s named Sampson Tshombe, suffered a medical emergency and passed away after receiving emergency treatment at the festival’s temporary hospital on Thursday, as indicated by the sheriff’s office.
Both Mann and Tshombe’s deaths showed no signs of foul play, but autopsies and toxicology screenings are scheduled to provide clarity within six to eight weeks. This year commemorates the festival’s 40th anniversary, commencing on August 30 and concluding on Monday. Each year, thousands of individuals gather in the desert to camp and engage in unconventional performances, culminating in the burning of a large wooden sculpture resembling a man.
While unfortunate incidents have occurred in the festival’s history, with over half a dozen reported deaths since its relocation from Baker Beach in San Francisco to the Black Rock desert in 1990, Jerry Allen, Pershing County sheriff and coroner, mentioned in a statement that the festival averages one fatality annually, according to NBC News.
