DLNews News Staff:

Over 70,000 people are stranded in the Nevada desert after heavy rains swamped the annual Burning Man festival, leaving thick, ankle-deep mud. Officials have told attendees to stay put and conserve water, food, and fuel.

The rainstorm swamped the Black Rock Desert, turning a dusty playground into a thick, clay-like mud that festivalgoers struggled to move through. Some vehicles became stuck in the muck, and officials stopped allowing cars or RVs into or out of the event site, known as Black Rock City.

Officials didn't specify a time when the roads could open up. The airport closest to the site was also closed, and the National Weather Service forecasts more rain Sunday. Despite the difficulty, attendees say they're staying positive and that morale at the desert event is still good.

Photos and videos on social media show muddy outdoor dance floors, impassable campsites, and stage areas. Some people were tying garbage bags around their feet and legs to help them maneuver through the thick muck, while others sat in their RVs waiting for the situation to improve.

Some people, including comedian Chris Rock and DJ Diplo, have made it out on foot. The latter posted a video on X, the app formerly called Twitter, showing him hitching a ride out of Burning Man with a fan. "It was an incredibly harrowing 6-mile hike through heavy mud at midnight, but I got out safely! Hopefully, I can help others do the same," he wrote.

Thousands of people are trapped at the Burning Man festival after the ground was swamped by rain, leaving thick, ankle-deep mud sticking to their shoes and vehicle tires. Authorities have told attendees to stay put and conserve water, but some try to go alone.

The festival, which mixes counterculture with art and music, kicked off on August 27 and was slated to end Monday. The event is held in the Black Rock Desert in northwest Nevada and was first launched in San Francisco in 1986 before moving to Nevada in 1991.

This year, the festival is focused on the theme of "Leaving No Trace."

The sand sculptures and structures created by attendees are typically burned at the end of the festival as a symbol of the ten principles of the event. But this year's event was marred by severe weather, with the final burning of a wooden effigy delayed until Monday.

The mud and floods have ruined a lot of equipment, including generators and other vital equipment used by organizers to run the event. The earth has also submerged some tents, trailers, and RVs underwater. A few festivalgoers have found refuge in an abandoned hotel, while most stay at their camps. Hundreds of volunteers are helping to care for the stranded attendees, with some even bringing their showers to the hotel, housing them as they wait for conditions to improve.