05 September 2023 , 07:06
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A man who died at Burning Man festival amid torrential rain has been identified as 32-year-old Leon Reece.
Pershing County Sheriff revealed he was found unresponsive at the festival site in the northern Nevada desert.. This comes as the mass exodus away from the site continues with ground firm enough to take the steady stream of vehicles.
Police did not reveal where Mr Reece was from but did say his family have been notified. The cause of death is pending an autopsy by the Washoe County Medical Examiner but the death did not appear to be weather related, Pershing County Sheriff Sgt Nathan Carmichael told the Reno Gazette Journal.
A law enforcement officer and others look at the clouds and landscape outside the Burning Man festival (AP)According to Sheriff Jerry Allen, emergency services were called at 6.24pm on September 1 about a man who was unresponsive at the festival site. The dispatcher was told on-site medical personnel were administering CPR.
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The Sheriff said that rain and tough conditions that night made it hard for deputies to reach the young man and begin their investigation. By the time officers arrived, a doctor at Burning Man had declared Mr Reece dead.
“Pershing County dispatch received a call regarding a male subject who was on the ground and unresponsive at the Burning Man Festival and medical personnel were administering CPR to the male,” Allen said.
“Due to the unusual rain event happening on the Playa, access to the area and investigative efforts were delayed. Upon the arrival of Pershing County Sheriff’s Office Deputies, the doctor at the Festival had already pronounced the male subject, later identified as Leon Reece, a 32 year old male, deceased.”
A birds-eye view of the camp (AP)Event organisers said they started to let traffic flow out of the main road around 2 pm local time on Monday — even as they continued urging attendees to delay their exit to help ease traffic on Monday. About two hours after the mass departure began, organisers estimated a wait time of about five hours.
Organisers also asked attendees not to walk out of the Black Rock Desert about 110 miles (177 kilometres) north of Reno as others had done throughout the weekend, including celebrity DJ Diplo and comedian Chris Rock. They didn’t specify why.
Speaking about the adverse weather conditions, Burning Man Communications said: "Event operations are functional and responding to evolving conditions. Our communications systems are up and running, as are our power grids."
People wait in line for a bus to leave the site after the festival's chaotic ending (BOOMY JENSEN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)They added: "There are approximately 72,000 people on site. People are sharing resources and looking after one another. Morale Saturday during the day and into the night was high and remains high today. There is music playing, camp meals being shared, socialising, and walking around the playa to look at art and interact as a community."