Revellers who attended the nine-day-long music and culture festival in Nevada began leaving the venue on Monday, leading to a huge traffic jam. A drone footage of long queues of vehicles heading away from the Burning Man festival has gone viral on social media. The attendees were asked to wait due to continuous rainfall, thought to have been the heaviest since the festival began more than 30 years ago. The final go-ahead was given on Monday and tens and thousands of people queued in the desert to leave.
One person had died at the event in the Black Rock Desert, authorities said on Sunday, providing few details. An investigation is underway. Organisers, meanwhile, said the man's death was unrelated to the weather, as per the BBC.
Thousands of attendees partied hard on Sunday despite the downpour that turned the Nevada desert into a sea of sticky mud and led officials to order the multitudes to shelter in place.
The event's traditional finale - the burning of an effigy - was postponed to Monday evening.
Martyna Sowa, a dancer and participant at the event, told the BBC that she was surprised at how bad the conditions became.
"It was a really strange experience," she said.
"We were originally told we wouldn't be able to leave until Tuesday but people who really have to go have been able to leave," Ms Sowa added.
Faye, another Burning Man participant, said she has been left "covered in mud for the past three days".
Every year, Burning Man brings thousands of people to the Nevada desert to dance, make art and enjoy being part of a self-sufficient, temporary community of like-minded spirits. This year's version opened on August 27.
It originated in 1986 as a small gathering on a San Francisco beach and is now attended by celebrities and social media influencers. A regular ticket costs $575 (around Rs 48,000).
