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Becca Monaghan
Sep 04, 2023
70,000 stranded at Burning Man festival
Fox - LA / VideoElephant
Tens of thousands of Burning Man festivalgoers are stranded at the Nevada desert due to flooding.
Heavy rain forced nearby roads to be closed, prompting chaotic scenes at Black Rock. Those in attendance have been urged to conserve food and take shelter.
Officials have also confirmed the death of one person "during this rain event" with no further details. Their family has been informed.
Rumours online suggested the scenes were a result of an Ebola outbreak – claims officials have since shut down.
In a statement to indy100, the Bureau of Land Management's (which oversees the Black Rock Desert site) public information officer for Burning Man said: "I can confirm the event entrance was closed for the year because unusual rainfall caused muddy conditions where there was a full stop on vehicles, and not for an Ebola outbreak.
"We have heard no information of any participants with Ebola."
Festivalgoers have since turned to TikTok to share the scenes...
@burningmanfashion #burningman update by @Christine Lee #burningman2023 #burningmanvideos #thankslarry
@angiepeacockmsw Burning Man is now Flooded Man. #burningman2023 #burningman #blackrockcity #fyp #nomad #vanlife
@nadia_abraham Pray for him people 😭😭 #burningman #burningman2023 #titanicsound #mud #festival
@gracetbarr1 Barely made it out of Black Rock City to avoid the 2 day lockdown. Exodus is real. Stay safe everyone 🙏 Part 2 when I make it home
@chloecailletmusic #burningman #burningman2023 #apocalypse
@ivannajackson Definitely unforgettable experience #burningman2023 #burningman #playa #burningmanmud
@laylamolayem Reporting live from Burning Man post rain. The alkaline sand has turned into quicksand from the rain 😳 #burningman #burningman2023 #rain
@ivoryringlord Replying to @Serena Lange #burningman #burningman2023 #liveupdate
Meanwhile, others were making the most of a bad situation:
@humminglion Mud at Burning Man? No prob! I’ll stay an extra week 😎 #burningman2023 #burningman #blackrockcity #brc #nevada
@gilroygabe Old Testiment Burning Man ⛈️ #burningman2023 #blackrockcity
@soulllvision Burning Man 2023 после того, как прошёл дождь. #Burningman2023 #blackrockcity #playa #бернингмен
The world-famous festival returned to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada on Sunday (27 August) and ran until Monday (4 September).
Organisers of the festival believe it can "produce positive spiritual change in the world," and "generate society that connects each individual to his or her creative powers, to participation in community, to the larger realm of civic life, and to the even greater world of nature that exists beyond society."
Burning Man is expected to pump $60 million into the Nevada economy, according to Work Live Play, with tickets said to cost anywhere between $575 to $2,750.
"Going to Burning Man, as I’m sure you’ve gathered, isn’t a straightforward operation," We Are Global Travellers shared. "It’s not cheap, it’s in the middle of the Nevada desert and it’s not something (unless you’ve been before or have friends in the know) that you can just whip together last minute."
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