Authorities have confirmed 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 on Tuesday 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 examiner’s office stated that the cause and manner of death are pending further testing and assured that foul play is not suspected.
The festival, known for its focus on art installations and self-expression during its week-long duration in the desert, previously reported two additional deaths. Pershing County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the deaths of Craigh Mann, 60, who was found deceased on Saturday in a trailer he shared with his partner, and Sampson Tshombe, a man in his mid-50s who passed away at the festival’s temporary hospital following a medical emergency.
Authorities indicated that there were no indications of foul play in the deaths of Mann and Tshombe, and both cases are scheduled for autopsy and toxicology screenings, 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, attracting tens of thousands of participants for camping, avant-garde performances, and the symbolic burning of a large wooden figure resembling a man.
While the festival has a history of fatalities dating back to its relocation from Baker Beach in San Francisco to the Black Rock Desert in 1990, with over half a dozen reported deaths, Pershing County Sheriff and Coroner Jerry Allen mentioned that the event typically records one fatality annually, as reported by NBC News.