Drugs are thought to be the single cause of death at Burning Man, authorities say – while festival-goers continue to wade through foot-deep mud and hours of traffic to leave the festival’s disaster zone.
Leon Reece of Truckee, California was pronounced dead by doctors on September 1, but officials with the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office said preliminary results indicated the 32-year-old likely had drugs in his system.
“The cause and manner of death are pending investigation, but drug intoxication is suspected,” the medical examiner’s office said in a statement on Tuesday.
Deputies arrived about 6:24 p.m. Friday, but due to unprecedented heavy rain over the weekend, emergency crews were unable to get to Reece immediately, Pershing County Sheriff’s officials said.
The manner and cause of Reece’s death remain unsolved. An autopsy is underway and the investigation is ongoing, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.
Nearly 70,000 Burning Man attendees were finally able to leave Nevada’s Black Rock Desert on Monday. via REUTERS
Traffic engulfed their desperate attempt to leave for five hours. BOOMY JENSEN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Aerial view of the annual event in the Black Rock Desert. Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Tech/AFP via Getty Images
Reece’s toxicology results could take six to eight months to complete, the medical examiner warned.
More than 73,000 festival-goers spent the weekend stuck in foot-deep mud after a rainstorm drenched Nevada’s Black Rock Desert where the annual festival is held, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.
As heavy rains continued, event organizers told thousands trapped to conserve their food and water as travel on muddy roads became nearly impossible.
The area where the annual festival takes place is known as La Playa.via REUTERS
Doctors have warned attendees to take care of their health while they are stuck in the muddy desert for days. via REUTERS
Tents are seen covered to protect them from the rain as mud covers the ground at the site of the Burning Man festival in Black Rock, Nevada, September 1, 2023, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. PAUL REDER via REUTERS
Many set off on foot and walked miles through the mud then hitchhiked out of the desert, including comedian Chris Rock and DJ Diplo, both of whom were set to perform before rain canceled most of the festivities.
Attendees were finally allowed to return to the roads at 2pm on Monday after the ban on driving in and out of the festival site was lifted.
Burning Man organizers said as many as 64,000 people were still at the site on Monday, according to the Reno Gezatte Journal.
Anger came to a head when RVs and cars were stuck for hours on muddy roads in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Monday.
Traffic was so congested at one point that it took drivers about seven hours to drive just five miles.
By Tuesday afternoon, the travel time had been cut to 2 to 3 hours, Burning Man organizers said on X.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
