There Were Not 13 Dead At the 2023 Burning Man Festival
The Claim
13 people were found dead after the 2023 Burning Man Festival.
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Emerging story
Following the news of the chaos the Burning Man festival caused, social media users shared a claim stating that the Burning Man festival caused 13 deaths in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, United States.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the widely-circulated claim and found it to be misleading.
Only One Person Died In The Festival, Not Thirteen
Contrary to the claim, only one person died at the festival according to the last report by The Independent.
The man, Leon Reece, 32, died on Friday on the venue floor, known as Playa. His cause and manner of death had not been determined yet. However, his death may be due to drug intoxication, per the suspects of the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The investigation is underway, as the investigative efforts were delayed “due to the unusual rain event happening on the Playa,” the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said.
Heavy Rains In The Burning Man Festival Led To People Getting Stuck In The Mud
A storm hit the Nevada desert on Friday. The desert received a huge amount of rain in just 24 hours. “Rain over the last 24 hours has created a situation that required a full stop of vehicle movement on the playa,” according to a statement obtained by the Reno Gazette-Journal.
The storm continued through the weekend making the sand of the desert become slippery clay. Accordingly, it was impossible for drivers to move over the sound.
According to CNN, about 70,000 attendees of the Burning Man Festival were stuck in the mud. Some people chose to hike for long distances until they reached the main roads, while others stayed and hoped that the weather would not worsen.
The Aftermath Of The 2023 Burning Man Festival
On Wednesday morning, the last crowds of the Burning Man festival left the Nevada desert. The heavy rains made it hard for them to leave. The crowds left a lot of rubbish behind them making the cleanup task herder on volunteers this year. Although every participant should remove all of their trash, there are no garbage cans around or anything that helps them to clean up.
Furthermore, a lot of vehicles had been abandoned and thrown across the playa, as there were people who abandoned their vehicles and properties in the desert due to the hardships they faced when trying to leave.
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