A man has been found dead “in a pool of blood” at the Burning Man festival in Nevada, officials say.
The man’s body, described as a white adult, was found “lying on the ground” after 9pm on Saturday at the art and music festival in the Black Rock Desert, roughly 110 miles north of Reno, the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said.
They said he was discovered while the festival’s large wooden effigy of a man at the centre of the festival was engulfed in flames – a tradition during the annual event.
Officials said a festival goer flagged down a sheriff’s deputy and reported seeing “a male subject lying in a pool of blood”.
The sheriff’s office set up a perimeter at the scene and has been treating it as a homicide, interviewing several participants.
The body, which has not been identified, was taken to a medical examiner’s office, while the festival continues until 6pm local time on Monday (2am Tuesday UK time).
“Although this act appears to be a singular crime, all participants should always be vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances,” the sheriff’s office said.
Officials say the crime scene is being preserved, but that the case is a “complicated investigation” as the makeshift Black Rock City where the event is located will be gone by the middle of the week.
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Burning Man organisers said they were cooperating with law enforcement and asked participants not to interfere with their investigation.
“The safety and well-being of our community are paramount,” their statement said, adding that support services, including a crisis support team, were available and participants had access to free Wi-Fi if they need to communicate with loved ones.
Burning Man is a celebration of self-expression that culminates in the ceremonial burning of its towering 40ft effigy.
Its origins can be traced back to the incineration of an eight-foot wooden “man” on San Francisco’s Baker Beach in 1986, which eventually evolved into an annual gathering in the Black Rock Desert.
