Thousands stranded in mud at Burning Man
Attendees known as "burners" strike down their Unicorner camp before new rainfalls in a muddy desert plain on September 3, 2023, after heavy rains turned the annual Burning Man festival site in Nevada's Black Rock desert into a mud pit. Photo: Julie Jammot/AFP
Nevada authorities on Sunday, September 3 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, and asked that they shelter in place and conserve food and water.
The Pershing County Sheriff's Office in northern Nevada said in a statement that the death happened during a "rain event" on Saturday but did not provide details of the cause of death or the person's identity.
Access to and from Black Rock City, the event site about 180 km north of Reno, was closed "for the remainder of the event," organizers said in a statement on social media.
The Washoe County Sheriff's Office said the entrance to Burning Man had been closed due to flooding and anyone trying to get in "will be turned away."
