Chaos at the Burning Man Festival: A death is under investigation and celebrities flee on foot through the mud
Tensions are high. Torrential rains leave 73,000 people trapped in Nevada. DJ Diplo and Chris Rock walked several miles before being rescued by fans.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Torrential rains left 73,000 Burning Man Festival attendees stranded in Black Rock City (Nevada). As if that weren't enough, police announced they are investigating the death of a person whose body was found after the storm. Fans are doing whatever they can to get out. DJ Diplo and Chris Rock walked several miles through the mud until they were picked up by fans in a pickup truck.
Chris Rock and Diplo's adventure to get out of the Burning Man Festival
Diplo shared his adventure in an Instagram post. He uploaded a picture with Chris Rock in the back of a pickup truck with several fans on their way back to the city. He also uploaded a video that gives his followers a glimpse of the weather. In his post, he explains that he left, despite official recommendations, because he had a show that night in Washington DC. "I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out cuz I have a show in DC tonight and didn't want to let y'all down," he said.
Later, the singer uploaded a story from the plane on the way to DC showing that he made it to the plane. He told fans that he would be on time for his show later that night. Chris Rock posted a video to his stories showing the muddy ground around the venue.
Sheriff's Office investigates death at Burning Man Festival
The Pershing County Sheriff's Office announced it is investigating a death from the festival. They haven't released more information about the cause of death or the person's identity.
Organizers ask people to stay off the roads
The Burning Man Project issued a press release claiming that "the organization is resourcing all of our 4WD vehicles with skilled drivers and all-terrain tires, as well as all of our 4WD ATV’s, and staging them in places near Ranger stations to help ferry medical and other urgent situations to the blacktop." In addition, they asked people to stay off the roads so that staff and emergency vehicles could get around.
In addition, the Washoe Sheriff's office posted on social media asking people not to travel to the festival area due to heavy rainfall in the coming hours. "Due to recent rainfall, the Bureau of Land Management and Pershing County Sheriff's Office officials have closed the entrance to Burning Man for the remainder of the event."