Authorities have confirmed the passing of a third attendee of the Burning Man festival, 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 early on Friday.
The examiner’s office stated that the cause and manner of death are pending additional testing and assured that foul play is not suspected. The festival, known for its art installations and self-expression, revealed the deaths of two other individuals, as confirmed by the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office.
Craigh Mann, aged 60, was discovered deceased on Saturday around 3 p.m. local time. The festival indicated that he was found in a trailer he shared with his significant other. Additionally, a man in his mid-50s experienced a medical emergency and was later pronounced dead at the festival’s temporary hospital on Thursday. Identified as Sampson Tshombe by the sheriff’s office, no foul play was suspected in either Mann or Tshombe’s deaths, with autopsies and toxicology screenings planned for both cases.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the festival, which commenced on August 30 and concluded on Monday. Every year, tens of thousands of 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. The festival, which has witnessed previous fatalities, has reported over half a dozen deaths since its relocation from Baker Beach in San Francisco to the Black Rock desert in 1990.
According to Jerry Allen, Pershing County sheriff and coroner, the festival historically averages one death per year.