70,000 'Burning Man' festival visitors stranded in Nevada desert after rainstorm turns the site into mud
Access to and from Black Rock City, the event's site was closed for the remaining event, organisers said in a statement on social media.
- Sep 3, 2023,
- Updated Sep 3, 2023 2:06 PM IST
On Saturday, after a rainstorm turned the 'Burning Man' festival site in the Nevada desert, California, into mud, authorities urged the tens of thousands of people attending the festival to remain at the same place and conserve food and water, reported the news agency Reuters. Access to and from Black Rock City, the event's site, was closed "for the remainder of the event," organisers said in a statement on social media.
"Rain over the last 24 hours has created a situation that required a full stop of vehicle movement on the playa," the US Bureau of Land Management, the agency that manages the land on which the event took place, said in a statement. "More rain is expected over the next few days, and conditions are not expected to improve enough to allow vehicles to enter the playa," the statement added.
On Saturday afternoon, thick and pasty mud surrounded Paul Reder's RV as scattered patches of blue tried to break through the grey cloud cover above him. "Fortunately, we're in a fairly big camp with a lot of supplies," Reder told Reuters during a video call. "As a community, everybody's sharing with each other."
Reder, who has been attending the event, said he expected it would take at least two days for the area to dry out. While he was prepared to ride it out, Reder said some attendees were leaving the site on foot and trekking to the nearest highway.
Organisations estimated that Black Rock City saw more than half an inch of rain overnight. According to the event’s website, more than 60,000 participants travel to and from the remote area in northwest Nevada every year, gathering in the temporary city to make art, dance, and enjoy community. Local media reported that there were more than 70,000 "burners" in Black Rock City.
The festival gets its name from its culminating event, the burning of a large wooden structure called the Man on the penultimate night.
(With Reuters inputs)
On Saturday, after a rainstorm turned the 'Burning Man' festival site in the Nevada desert, California, into mud, authorities urged the tens of thousands of people attending the festival to remain at the same place and conserve food and water, reported the news agency Reuters. Access to and from Black Rock City, the event's site, was closed "for the remainder of the event," organisers said in a statement on social media.
"Rain over the last 24 hours has created a situation that required a full stop of vehicle movement on the playa," the US Bureau of Land Management, the agency that manages the land on which the event took place, said in a statement. "More rain is expected over the next few days, and conditions are not expected to improve enough to allow vehicles to enter the playa," the statement added.
On Saturday afternoon, thick and pasty mud surrounded Paul Reder's RV as scattered patches of blue tried to break through the grey cloud cover above him. "Fortunately, we're in a fairly big camp with a lot of supplies," Reder told Reuters during a video call. "As a community, everybody's sharing with each other."
Reder, who has been attending the event, said he expected it would take at least two days for the area to dry out. While he was prepared to ride it out, Reder said some attendees were leaving the site on foot and trekking to the nearest highway.
Organisations estimated that Black Rock City saw more than half an inch of rain overnight. According to the event’s website, more than 60,000 participants travel to and from the remote area in northwest Nevada every year, gathering in the temporary city to make art, dance, and enjoy community. Local media reported that there were more than 70,000 "burners" in Black Rock City.
The festival gets its name from its culminating event, the burning of a large wooden structure called the Man on the penultimate night.
(With Reuters inputs)