Police have confirmed that a person has died at Burning Man Festival as rain storms have left tens of thousands of “burners” stranded in the Nevada desert.
No further information on the person’s identity or the circumstances of their death was provided, but their family has been informed.
Attendees have been told to stay in their camps and conserve food and water, with roads into and out of the event closed due to flooding.
Local reports described the conditions at the festival as “treacherous” with “thick, slimy mud that clung to shoes and anything else it touched”. The disruptions have also led to suspensions of the cleaning and emptying of thousands of portable toilets.
The US Bureau of Land Management, who manage the land on which the event takes place, said in a statement: “Rain over the last 24 hours has created a situation that required a full stop of vehicle movement on the playa.
“More rain is expected over the next few days and conditions are not expected to improve enough to allow vehicles to enter the playa.”
It has been reported that some attendees have attempted to leave the site on foot and trek to the nearest motorway.
The state of Nevada experienced heavy rainfall since Friday (September 1), with flash flooding expected to continue until tomorrow morning (September 4), the day the festival was supposed to conclude.
In the earlier part of Burning Man, which began on August 27, a group of climate activists blocked the main road into the event using a 28-foot trailer which four people chained themselves to, according to The Guardian.
The protest resulted in standstill traffic for over an hour, where attendees clashed with protesters who held signs reading “Burners of the world, unite!”, “Mother Earth needs our help”, “General strike for climate change” and “Abolish capitalism”.