The Burning Man festival celebrations in Nevada were reportedly overshadowed by the death of a 30-year-old woman on the first day of the festivities on Sunday in the middle of the Black Rock Desert.
“The cause and manner of his death are still pending autopsy and toxicology results,” Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said in a statement Monday, according to ABC News.
The Burning Man festival, which attracts about 80,000 visitors each year, had barely opened Sunday when festival-goer Kendra Frazer, 39, was found unconscious around 11:30 a.m., according to police.
Unfortunately, when the police arrived on the scene, he was confirmed dead, according to the American media.
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this loss. The safety and well-being of our staff and community is paramount. We are cooperating fully with local authorities as they conduct their investigation,” the festival organizers reportedly said in a written statement, according to ABC News.
The Burning Man festivities, which are scheduled to run from August 25 to September 2, had been launched very early on Sunday after rain and mud delayed the opening of the site’s gates by 12 hours for around 20,000 festival-goers already on site, according to “The Guardian”.
According to the British media, this is not the first time that the festival has caused a death: just last year, a 32-year-old Californian was found dead at the scene, which the authorities suspected was the result of drug poisoning.
A few years earlier, in 2017, a 41-year-old man, Aaron Joel Mitchell, reportedly lost his life after jumping into the flames during the festival’s final ceremony.
