One Dead, Thousands Stranded In Muddy Mess At Burning Man Festival

One person is dead while thousands remain stranded at the site of the Burning Man festival in Nevada as storms turned the campsite into a muddy mess.

Storms have swept through the Nevada desert, flooding the site of the festival following 150mm of rain on Friday.

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Another 80mm was expected to fall late Saturday to Sunday.

Festivalgoers were told to take shelter and to conserve food, water and fuel after the storm forced officials to prohibit people entering or leaving the site.

What was before dry desert grounds, has turned into ankle-deep muddy clay, making it difficult to walk or ride through.

The death of the person is under investigation by authorities, who at this stage have not named the person or given details surrounding the circumstances of the death.

“The family has been notified and the death is under investigation,” the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said on Sunday AEST.

The festival organisers’ have not said when the gates are expected to reopen and when people could leave the grounds.

It is unclear how many people remain stranded at Burning Man Festival.

In previous years, the event has attracted around 60,000 people each year – but was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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