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Authorities in Nevada are investigating after a person died at the site of the Burning Man festival, where thousands remain stranded as flooding from storms swept through the desert.
The Pershing County Sheriff's Office in northern Nevada said that the death happened during a "rain event" on Saturday, but did not provide further details including the person's identity and the suspected cause of death.
"The family has been notified and the death is under investigation," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "As this death is still under investigation, there is no further information available at this time."
Revelers—estimated to be more than 70,000—were urged to shelter in place and conserve food, water and other supplies.
Organizers closed vehicular access to the week-long counterculture festival, which began on August 27 and was scheduled to end on Monday, in the Black Rock Desert.
Most festival operations have been "halted or significantly delayed," the sheriff's office said.
Newsweek has contacted organizers, the Bureau of Land Management and the Pershing County Sheriff's Office for comment via email.
Many are taking the muddy conditions well, partying and making mud sculptures, the Reno Gazette Journal reported.
The sheriff's office had previously said people were free to leave the festival, but on Saturday night said it supported organizers' advice to shelter in place "until the ground has dried sufficiently to move safely."
"Some vehicles have been able to drive off the playa, however, those vehicles have caused damage to the playa surface, and it is not recommended at this time," the sheriff's office said. "There is more rain forecast for the next few days, which could cause further delays and disruptions for participants attempting to leave the festival as well as other operations within the festival."
Burning Man organizers said late on Saturday that they were deploying temporary cell trailers in the event area and configuring the WiFi system for public access.
On the festival's website, organizers reiterated that no one is allowed to drive out of Black Rock City, the temporary location in the desert where the festival is held.
They advised people to shelter in a warm, safe place and conserve food, water and fuel.
They said people could make the 5-mile journey across the muddy desert to Gerlach and take a free bus from there to Reno. "If you do this, make sure you have water and the strength to walk as much as 5 miles through the mud," they added. "This isn't a simple solution, but it is a possible one should you need or want to make the trek."
They also issued a reminder that attending Burning Man has always required preparation.
"Burning Man is a community of people who are prepared to support one another," they said. "We have come here knowing this is a place where we bring everything we need to survive. It is because of this that we are all well-prepared for a weather event like this."
Update 9/3/23, 5:43 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to add more information.
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Khaleda Rahman is Newsweek's National Correspondent based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on education and national news. Khaleda ... Read more