By EFE
03 Sep 2023, 12:32 PM EDT
Thousands of people were stranded this weekend in the Nevada desert by heavy rains while attending the Burning Man festival.
In a series of messages on the social network X (formerly Twitter), the organizers of the event, which attracts tens of thousands of people each year, warned that access to the area is closed and asked people to conserve water and the food.
“If you are in Black Rock City (the name of the temporary city that is built every year during the festival), please stay where you are and stay safe,” they said.
According to attendees, the sand has turned to ankle-deep mud. “There are people who have tried to cross it on bicycles and have gotten stuck,” a participant told CNN.
The US Weather Service has warned that showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue through Saturday afternoon and Sunday.
The Burning Man festival takes place each year on a dry lake in the Nevada desert, where a temporary city is built, accessible via a two-lane highway.
During the event, attendees can participate in a number of arts and community activities. According to the organizers, the festival is guided by a series of principles, including “civil responsibility”, “radical expression” or “leave no trace”, and the use of money is not allowed (although tickets to attend cost hundreds of dollars).
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