An investigation has been initiated into the death of an individual during heavy rainfall at the Burning Man festival in the US state of Nevada.
Due to the adverse weather conditions that transformed the festival grounds into deep, slippery mud, thousands of festivalgoers find themselves stranded at the event.
Attendees have been advised to seek shelter and conserve their food, while the roads leading in and out of the festival have been closed because vehicles are struggling to move.
Burning Man is typically held in the dry and dusty Black Rock Desert.
The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office released a statement on Saturday, stating that it is “currently investigating a death which occurred during this rain event,” without providing further details about the circumstances. The statement noted that the person’s family had been notified.
These unusual rainstorms arrived as the nine-day festival neared its conclusion, with the largest crowds gathering to witness the grand finale – the burning of the giant wooden man.
According to BBC Weather, the worst of the rain has now passed, but there is still a possibility of some additional showers and thunderstorms.
It may take several days for the ground to dry up sufficiently for people to leave, and for this reason, attendees have been instructed to conserve their food, water, and fuel.
Festival-goers have also reported that the festival’s toilets are out of order because service vehicles cannot traverse the muddy terrain to empty them.
The sheriff’s office revealed that some individuals who attempted to drive out of the festival ended up worsening the already muddy conditions.
Although more than 70,000 people had arrived at the site before its closure on Saturday, the exact number of those still present remains unclear.
Some individuals have managed to depart the site, including American DJ Diplo and comedian Chris Rock, who walked five miles (8 kilometers) to a road, where they received a ride from fans.
Others have had to rely on the kindness of strangers.
One festival-goer, Ashley Smith, shared with the BBC that he and his friends left much of their gear behind and walked to the road, where they hitchhiked to San Francisco. The entire journey took 14 hours.
The event’s organizers have arranged for buses to pick up people from the road and transport them to the city of Reno, which is over 100 miles away.
Photos show tents partially submerged in muddy flood water.
Milia Nirshberg, 12, who is at the festival with her father for the second year running, told the BBC that they had let friends stay in their campervan, and were also allowing people to use the van’s toilet.
“The people in the tents are having a hard time because it’s flooding. Since we’re in a campervan we’re trying to invite people to come stay with us because they don’t have food or water,” she said.
Burning Man is one of America’s most well-known arts and culture events. Visitors create a temporary city in the middle of the desert, and are expected to be largely self-sufficient while they are there.
“We have come here knowing this is a place where we bring everything we need to survive,” said Burning Man in a statement. “It is because of this that we are all well-prepared for a weather event like this.”
As well as music, the festival usually features giant interactive art installations – but many of the attractions had to be cancelled.
Nonetheless, many were trying to make the best of the situation, dancing in the mud to techno music.
“We’re taking it as an opportunity to hang out and spend more time with our new friends and old friends in the camp,” reveller, Josiah Roe said.
Burning Man was founded in June 1986 and was first held in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert in 1990.
Tickets can be very hard to get and festival-goers sometimes interview to get into popular camps and have to prove their commitment to its ideals.
Some groups spend the entire year planning their camp, artwork and theme.
But this year there had been worries about the weather and tickets were changing hands on the secondary market at below market rate.