The desert has turned into mud, forcing people to shelter in place. The event also resulted in one death which is currently under investigation by the local authorities.
On Saturday, event organizers were forced to close vehicle access due to flooding, prompting festivalgoers to either tread through the mud or seek shelter. Emergency resources such as mobile phone trailers were dropped at various locations, and shuttle services were arranged to transport attendees to nearby reno from Gerlach. The remaining event was announced to stay closed to vehicle traffic, with hopes of allowing departures if weather conditions improved by late Monday.
Despite the adverse conditions, some participants, including celebrity DJ Diplo and comedian Chris Rock, managed to leave the venue by hitchhiking. The unfortunate weather incident happened right before the festival’s highlight, the burning of a large wooden effigy.
The festival started on august 27th and was planned to end on Monday.
