Throughout Monday, the departure of civilians who were isolated in the Nevada event as a result of a storm that caused a mudslide that blocked roads and made travel impossible was carried out. At least one person died, according to official sources, although the details are unclear.
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This Monday, September 4, the desperation of those attending the Burning Man festival had a favorable resolution. After being isolated since last Friday in Black Rock City, a city set up for this date located in the Nevada desert, due to a storm that filled the roads and surrounding areas with mud, the evacuation began.
Although some attendees, including guest artists, proceeded to leave on foot through a quagmire that acted like “quicksand” – in the words of comedian Chris Rock, one of those who left on their own –, the work took place. to open roads. However, given so many people, those in charge of the operation asked that some remain until Tuesday.
In this countercultural artistic event, one person died, authorities said last Sunday, without providing further details and warning that an investigation is underway. On the other hand, the organizers highlighted that the fatal event occurred for reasons unrelated to the storm.
The departure of the attendees was scheduled for noon on Monday, but some witnesses told the Reuters agency that the line of cars formed since dawn.
This escape route – which became a sea of dry mud and along an unpaved road – was eight kilometers to the nearest road. Some vehicles failed in their attempt to flee and were left mired in the mud.
70,000 people attended this festival, located around 24 kilometers from the nearest city. Over the past few days, authorities and organizers urged civilians to stay put and ration food and water.
A downpour fell at the beginning of the weekend. Between 1.9 and 3.8 centimeters of water fell in the area in a few hours, a very different scene from the 22 degrees Celsius that was this sunny Monday.
Burning Man is an artistic event that brings together thousands of people every year in the Nevada desert and culminates with the burning of a giant wooden human figure, a ceremony that gives its name to the festival.
This party has its own well-defined principles: civil responsibility, radical expression and leaving no traces. In fact, in its statement on Monday, the organization stressed to those leaving the city to “pack everything they brought and clean the camp space before leaving the city.”
It originated in 1986 as a small rally on a beach in San Francisco and became a large-scale event attended by celebrities, influencers of social networks and even intellectuals from Silicon Valley.
With EFE, Reuters and local media
Source: France 24
