Page 5 - ARUBA TODAY

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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 5 sepTember 2017

Authorities investigate death of man at Burning Man festival

By SALLY HO followed by the burning of
Associated Press a temple on Sunday before
Authorities are investigat- the festivities wrap up Mon-
ing the death of a man day.
who died of his injuries a Attempts to rescue Mitchell
few hours after he rushed were hampered because
past layers of security of- part of the structure was
ficers into a massive fire at falling while they were try-
the Burning Man festival’s ing to get Mitchell out of it,
signature ceremony. the sheriff’s office said.
Late Saturday night, Aar- “Rescuers had to leave him
on Joel Mitchell, 41, broke to allow the structure to
through a two-layer secu- fall and provide for rescuer
rity perimeter during the safety before they could
Man Burn event in which a go back into the flames
giant, wooden effigy is set to extract Aaron from the
ablaze. Nevada’s Pershing debris,” the sheriff’s office
County Sheriff Jerry Allen said in a statement. Inves-
estimated that there was tigators are having a hard
a crowd of about 50,000 time getting information as
people who were present festival-goers leave the site
when the festival’s crew of for their homes, the law en-
firefighters pulled Mitchell In this Aug. 29, 2014 photo, Burning Man participants walk through dust at the annual Burning Man forcement agency said.
out of the blaze. He was air- event on the Black Rock Desert of Gerlach, Nev. Authorities are investigating the death of a man Attendees have tried be-
lifted to the UC Davis hospi- who died of his injuries a few hours after he rushed past layers of security officers into a massive fore to run into the flames
tal burn center in Califor- fire at the Burning Man festival’s signature ceremony. while the man is burning
nia, where he died Sunday (Andy Barron/The Reno Gazette-Journal via AP) and there have been re-
morning. The sheriff said who had a home in Okla- of the nine-day festival. for closeness, contact and ported injuries from people
doctors confirmed Mitchell homa but apparently was More than 70,000 people community. Trauma needs trying to get a piece of
wasn’t under the influence living in Switzerland with his are attending the art and processing. Promote calls, the spectacle as a token
of alcohol, but a toxicol- wife, the sheriff’s office said. music celebration in the hugs, self-care, check-ins, and going through the hot
ogy report was still pending Burning Man said in a state- Black Rock Desert, about and sleep.” The festival cul- coals.
Monday. “We don’t know if ment that they had can- 100 miles (161 kilometers) minates with the burning of In 2014, a man in Utah died
it was intentional on his part celled burns through noon north of Reno. a towering 40-foot effigy by jumping into a huge cer-
or if it was just kind of in- Sunday but went ahead Organizers are also offering made of wood, a symbol of emonial bonfire in an event
duced by drugs. We’re not with the 8 p.m. temple emotional support coun- rebirth, which usually hap- that was similar to Burning
sure of that yet,” Allen said. burn, another signature seling on site, saying in a pens the Saturday before Man. It was investigated as
Mitchell was a U.S. citizen event that signals the end statement: “Now is a time the Labor Day holiday. It’s a suicide.q

Small boy’s body found encased in concrete in Kansas house

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Po- moved the structure and wrote in a news release on er on Monday left phone Sedgwick County Jail. Po-
lice are investigating after discovered the remains of Sunday. and email messages Wich- lice have not said if that
the body of a small child a 3-year-old boy inside. Neighbor Toni Freund told ita police for information man and woman are sus-
was discovered encased Police have not named the the Eagle that she saw about the structure. pected in the death of the
in concrete inside a rental child. police pull something con- Police say a 40-year-old child.
home in Wichita, Kansas. “We have a tentative iden- crete from the home. man and 36-year-old wom- A flyer recently passed out
The landlord was cleaning tification on the child, but She and other neighbors an who lived at the home in the area around the
the house Saturday when confirmation of the child’s said they had never seen were arrested last week on home identifies a missing
he found a concrete struc- identity is being coordinat- a young child at the home. separate charges associ- 3-year-old child. The flyers
ture and noticed an odor ed through the Sedgwick “It’s definitely a tragedy,” ated with a child custody were shared on social me-
coming from it, the Wichita County Medical Examiner,” she said. case. dia with people pleading
Eagle reported. Police re- officer Charley Davidson An Associated Press report- Both are being held in the for the child’s safe return.q