An assistant has died and tens of thousands more were trapped this Sunday in the mud of the Nevada desert, in the United States, after rain turned the festival anual Burning Man.
Video footage showed “burners,” as festival participants are called, struggling to get through the mud. Some used garbage bags as makeshift boots. Many vehicles were stuck in the mud.
The organizers were forced to lock the gates of black rock city, name of the location where the meeting takes place, so attendees could not access or exit if they were already there.
All activities at this countercultural festival, which attracted some 70,000 people, were canceled after the rain brought down the structures for dances, artistic installations and other shows. Police said they were investigating a death, without elaborating.
The entrance and exit gates of the Black Rock City compound were closed, but some desperate attendees they walked for hours to get to the nearest road and ask for a ride to leave.