More than 70,000 people have been waiting to leave the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert after heavy rain turned the ground into a swamp.

Although some people have been able to leave the site as conditions improve, others have found it impossible to drive away – with stranded vehicles spinning their wheels in the mud.

The event’s finale – the burning of the man – has been postponed until Monday.

Some revelers need to get out while others are going with the flow. Here’s what some of them had to say.

‘It is about survival’
Martyna Sowa, a dancer, was supposed to perform at the festival but that’s not happening now.

“That was the reason I came here,” she told the BBC. “But that’s okay.”

Ms Sowa said the “very muddy” and “very slippery” conditions mean “it takes a very long time to go anywhere, including the toilet”.

“We’ve been told it is more about survival at this point as some people were not as well prepared,” she added.

A number of revellers only came to the festival for the weekend and did not pack enough food and water.

“Some people have been really struggling,” Ms Sowa said. But luckily more seasoned festivalgoers or those who stayed for longer brought plenty of spare provisions.

“It is usually not a great environment anyway so we usually prepare extra in case of emergencies,” she said. “It is great to see all the people helping each other and being in good spirits as well.”

Media caption,
Burning Man: Torrential rain turns desert festival into mud bath

‘The alkaline mud can burn your skin’
Actor and content creator Justin Schuman, who has been at the festival for 11 days, said that the situation at the Black Rock Desert brought out the best in people.

“What I have seen personally is resilience,” he told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner. “I’ve seen a huge amount of people coming together, I have seen strangers hugging strangers, I have seen people gifting things to others.”

Mr Schuman and his friends have enough supplies to last them several days and have been sharing what they can with those in need.

But it is still not the nicest place to be.

He described the mud as “really, really wet and really, really slick”, and warned: “It is also very alkaline so you do have to be careful for no prolonged exposure of your skin to the mud because apparently it can start to really gently burn your skin.”

This is something called “Playa Foot” – or a chemical burn – according to Burning Man festival organisers. Revellers are advised to keep their feet covered and wash them regularly. READ MORE