Third death reported at Nevada Burning Man festival as investigations continue
A third participant died while being taken to a Reno hospital during this year's Burning Man, bringing the total fatalities at the event to three this week.
The Pershing County Sheriff's Office confirmed on Sept. 7 that a third person died while being transported to a hospital in Reno, Nevada. Authorities have not released the individual's identity or further details.
The deaths of two other participants, identified as 60-year-old Craigh Mann and Sampson Tshombe, were also reported. Mann was found by campmates on Sept. 5, and an autopsy will be performed by the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner's Office. Tshombe, initially described as a man in his mid-50s, died after a medical emergency on Sept. 3 when he was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead at the on-site emergency center.
"Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the participant's family, friends, campmates and all those affected by this loss," Burning Man said in a statement.
Burning Man, a weeklong gathering in Nevada's Black Rock Desert that draws about 70,000 attendees, concluded with the traditional burning of the wooden effigy on Sept. 5 and officially ended on Sept. 7. The event places responsibility for food, water and shelter on participants.
The latest fatality is the sixth linked to the festival in the past four years, according to local reporting, and the overall death count since the event moved to the desert in 1990 exceeds ten.