A woman died on the first day of the 2024 Burning Man Festival in Nevada's Black Rock Desert over the weekend, local authorities and event organizers confirmed. It's the latest of more than half a dozen deaths at the event over the past three decades.
According to a press release issued by the Burning Man Project, emergency personnel responded to a report of an unresponsive individual at 11:29 a.m. Sunday. When responders arrived on the scene, lifesaving measures were immediately administered, but were ultimately unsuccessful.
The victim's name and age will not be released until relatives are notified. NBC News confirmed that the deceased was a female participant. The death is currently under investigation to determine the cause and manner of death, with autopsy results pending.
“It is with heavy hearts that the Burning Man Project confirms the death of a participant in Black Rock City in Nevada's Black Rock Desert,” the organization said in a statement. “Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this loss. The participant has been identified by the Pershing County Sheriff's Office.”
It was stated that 24-hour peer support services will be provided to festival attendees at the event, while the Black Rock City Emergency Services Department Crisis Support team will also be available 24 hours a day.
Burning Man is an annual, week-long event focused on “community, art, self-expression and self-reliance” that takes place in Black Rock City, a temporary city set up in the Black Rock Desert.
The Reno Newspaper Magazine Seven people have reportedly died since Burning Man moved about 100 miles north of Reno in 1990; the first death occurred in 1996 and the most recent at last year's 2023 festival.