<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">An investigation has been launched into the death of a person during torrential rain at the Burning Man festival in the US state of Nevada.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thousands of people remain stranded at the event after the bad weather turned the ground to deep, slippery mud.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Revellers have been told to take shelter and conserve their food, while roads in and out of the event are closed as vehicles can barely move.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Burning Man is held in the Black Rock Desert, which is usually dry and dusty.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a statement on Saturday, the Pershing County Sheriff's Office said it is "currently investigating a death which occurred during this rain event" but did not give any further details on the circumstances. The person's family had been notified, the statement added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The unusual rainstorms came towards the end of the nine-day festival, when the biggest crowds arrive to see the grand finale - the burning of the giant wooden effigy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The worst of the rain has now passed, according to BBC Weather, but there is still a risk of some further showers and thunderstorms.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It could be several days before the ground dries up enough for people to leave and for this reason, they have been told to conserve their food, water and fuel.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The festival's toilets are also out of use, revellers say, because the service vehicles cannot drive on the mud to empty them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However one festival-goer has told the BBC that the organisers have now been able to empty and restock the toilet facilities, at least in some areas.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to the sheriff's office, some people who had tried to drive out of the festival had instead made the muddy ground even worse.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Festival-goers told the BBC they watched on as some people tried to drive away - but they quickly became bogged in the thick clay-like mud.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Burning Man's organisers said they currently had no estimated time for when the roads would be dry enough for vehicles to be able to move off the site.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Monday late in the day would be possible if weather conditions are in our favour... It could be sooner, and it could be later," they said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are currently thought to be around 70,000 people stranded at the site, Pershing County Sheriff's Sgt Nathan Carmichael told US media.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Some have managed to leave, however. American DJ Diplo wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he and comedian Chris Rock walked 5 miles (8km) to a road, where they were given a lift by fans.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Others have also had to rely on strangers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ashley Smith, who lives in London, told the BBC that he and his friends left a lot of their gear behind and walked to the road, where they managed to hitchhike to San Francisco. The whole journey took 14 hours.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The event's organisers have arranged for buses to pick people up from the road and take them to the city of Reno, more than 100 miles away.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Photos show tents partially submerged in muddy flood water.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Milia Nirshberg, 12, who is at the festival with her father for the second year running, told the BBC that they had let friends stay in their campervan, and were also allowing people to use the van's toilet.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The people in the tents are having a hard time because it's flooding. Since we're in a campervan we're trying to invite people to come stay with us because they don't have food or water," she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Burning Man is one of America's most well-known arts and culture events. Visitors create a temporary city in the middle of the desert, and are expected to be largely self-sufficient while they are there.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We have come here knowing this is a place where we bring everything we need to survive," said Burning Man in a statement. "It is because of this that we are all well-prepared for a weather event like this."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As well as music, the festival usually features giant interactive art installations - but many of the attractions had to be cancelled.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nonetheless, many were trying to make the best of the situation, dancing in the mud to techno music.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We're taking it as an opportunity to hang out and spend more time with our new friends and old friends in the camp," reveller, Josiah Roe said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Andy Maddocks, who is also at the festival, told the BBC organisers planned to go ahead with the burning of the wooden effigy on Sunday evening if the weather held.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Burning Man was founded in June 1986 and was first held in Nevada's Black Rock Desert in 1990.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tickets can be very hard to get and festival-goers sometimes interview to get into popular camps and have to prove their commitment to its ideals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Some groups spend the entire year planning their camp, artwork and theme.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But this year there had been worries about the weather and tickets were changing hands on the secondary market at below market rate. 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