Burning Man: Police investigate death in heavy rain

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To play this video you need JavaScript enabled in your browser. < /figure>By David Willis and Kathryn ArmstrongBBC News, Burning Man in Nevada and London

An investigation has been opened into the death of a person during torrential rain during the Burning Man festival in the US state of Nevada.

Thousands of people remain stranded at the event after bad weather turned the ground into a deep, slippery mud.

Revelers have been asked to take shelter and save their food, while roads entering and exiting the event are closed as vehicles may barely moving.

< p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10">Burning Man takes place in the Black Rock Desert, which is usually dry and dusty.

In a statement on Saturday, the Pershing County Sheriff's Office said it is "currently investigating a death that occurred during this rain event," but did not provide further details on circumstances. The person's family has been notified, the statement added.

The unusual rains occurred towards the end of the nine-day festival, when the largest crowds arrives to see the show. grand finale - the burning of the giant wooden effigy.

The worst of the rains are now over, according to BBC Weather, but there is still a risk of more showers and thunderstorms.

It could be several days before the ground dries out enough for people to leave and for this reason they have been told to keep their food, water and fuel.

However, two festival-goers told the BBC that organizers had now been able to empty and restock the toilets. They had been left out of use as service vehicles were unable to drive over the mud to empty them.

According to the sheriff's office, some people who had tried to leave the festival had instead made the muddy ground even worse.