RENO, Nevada – Authorities said Monday they’re investigating the death of a girl on the Burning Man counterculture festival, held annually within the northern Nevada desert.
The Pershing County Sheriff's Office said emergency crews responded to a 911 call a couple of woman found unconscious around noon Sunday in Black Rock City, a makeshift town built for the festival about 100 miles north of Reno.
Attempts by the Burning Man Project rescue team to avoid wasting the girl’s life were unsuccessful.
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends who have suffered this loss,” festival organizers said in an announcement. “We are cooperating fully with local authorities in their investigation of this incident.”
Since the festival moved from Baker Beach in San Francisco to the Black Rock Desert in 1990, about half a dozen other deaths have been reported. Last yr, a 32-year-old California man died of suspected drug poisoning after being found unconscious on the festival grounds.
Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said in an announcement that Sunday's death stays under investigation pending the cause and circumstances of the death. An update can be provided once the autopsy is accomplished.
A call to the Washoe County Coroner's Office was not immediately returned Monday.
Allen said the girl's name and age wouldn’t be released until her relatives were notified.
The festival, which mixes wilderness camping with a week-long celebration of art for art's sake, began early Sunday after the gates were closed for 12 hours attributable to rain and dust.
An estimated 20,000 people were already on the beach before the gates were officially opened to all ticket holders.
Burning Man runs until September 2nd. The organizers expect greater than 70,000 visitors this yr.
Known for its colourful theme camps, giant sculptures, drum circles, art cars and avant-garde theater performances, town's visitor numbers grew from about 4,000 in 1995 to 50,000 in 2010, temporarily making it the third-largest city in Nevada after the metropolises of Las Vegas and Reno.
In 2023, an estimated 73,000 people attended the thirty fifth annual Burning Man festival, with one other 95,000 participating in regional events around the globe.
The event was interrupted by a protest blockade that was lifted by local authorities. About an inch and a half of rain turned the playa into mud, making driving and cycling almost unattainable.
Authorities installed cellular phone towers and asked visitors to remain home until the rain stopped.
Other deaths recorded at Burning Man through the years include a girl who was hit by a bus in 2014 and a visitor who fell under a trailer in 2007. In 1996, a friend of Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey was killed in a collision with a delivery truck while riding his motorcycle at night.
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