1 dead at US Burning Man festival as thousands trapped during heavy rains
- ‘As the death is still under investigation, there is no further information available at this time’, police said late on Saturday
- Attendees have been told to conserve food and water and to shelter in place, after rough weather closed the gate and airport in Black Rock City, Nevada
Nevada police on Sunday said they were investigating one death after a severe rainstorm left tens of thousands of revellers attending the annual Burning Man festival stranded in mud.
Pershing County Sheriff’s Office in northern Nevada said a death happened during the event but offered few details as the investigation continued, including the identity of the deceased person or the suspected cause of death, KNSD-TV reported.
“As this death is still under investigation, there is no further information available at this time,” news outlet NBC quoted the statement as saying.
The tens of thousands of people gathered for the festival remained stranded in the Nevada desert on Sunday after storms swept through the area and authorities worked to open exit paths by the end of the Labour Day weekend.
Organisers closed vehicular access to the counterculture festival and attendees trudged through mud, many barefoot or wearing plastic bags on their feet. The revellers were urged to shelter in place and conserve food, water and other supplies. All events at the festival were cancelled
On their website, organisers encouraged participants to remain calm and suggested that the festival is built to endure conditions such as flooding. They said mobile phone trailers were being dropped in several locations on Saturday night and that they would be briefly opening up internet overnight. Shuttle buses were also being organised to take attendees to Reno from the nearest town of Gerlach, a walk of about five miles (8km) from the site.
“Burning Man is a community of people who are prepared to support one another. We have come here knowing this is a place where we bring everything we need to survive,” the organisers said in a statement. “It is because of this that we are all well-prepared for a weather event like this.”