Sept. 23 (Bloomberg) -- A Canadian man died after spending 34 hours unattended in the emergency room of a hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Winnipeg Free Press reported today, citing a city health official.

The 45-year-old was dropped off at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre on Sept. 19 and found dead on Sept. 21, the paper reported, citing Brock Wright, the Winnipeg Regional Authority's chief medical officer.

It was the first such incident in the hospital and health officials still don't know why the man wasn't seen by a doctor even after he spoke with hospital staff, the paper said, citing Wright. The man didn't approach the so-called triage nurse on duty and the hospital doesn't have a policy of reaching out to all patients in the waiting room, the Free Press also said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alexandre Deslongchamps in Ottawa at adeslongcham@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 23, 2008 10:52 EDT