Thousands are still trapped at the Burning Man festival in Nevada after torrential downpours turned the northern desert site into a thick mud pit.
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00:00 This morning in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, unusually late summer rainstorms
00:05 turned the week-long Burning Man festival into a muddy mess, leaving tens
00:10 of thousands of people stranded. The Pershing County Sheriff's Office saying
00:14 one person has died. That death is under investigation. The torrential downpour
00:19 forcing partygoers to take shelter this weekend, some trudging through muck with
00:24 plastic bags on their feet. Revelers were told by officials to conserve food
00:28 and water. "We're running, almost running out of the gasoline, so that's why in the
00:33 daytime we mostly like stay without electricity." The conditions making
00:39 traveling in and out of the area unfeasible. This video posted on social
00:43 media by music producer Diplo shows him hitching a ride out of the festival
00:47 Saturday with comedian Chris Rock after they walked five miles in the mud out of
00:52 Burning Man. Despite that, spirits remain high for some partygoers on site. This is
00:57 the best burn ever. Seriously, like this has given us the opportunity to rise to
01:03 radical self-reliance and to support each other in the community and I'm
01:07 having the best time. The annual counterculture celebration happening
01:13 about a hundred miles north of Reno attracts nearly 80,000 artists, musicians
01:17 and activists. Organizers have had to cancel the festival before due to COVID-19
01:22 and dust storms. The White House says President Biden is monitoring the
01:26 situation closely.
01:29 Burning Man organizers say it's not clear when the roads will be dry enough
01:37 to navigate, but they say they're hopeful to resume plans for the festival tonight,
01:42 weather permitting. Em Wynn, ABC News, Washington.