Burning Man festival death investigated as homicide

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8z6x062y4o

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Burning Man takes place in Nevada's Black Rock Desert

A homicide investigation has been launched at the Burning Man festival in the US state of Nevada after a man was found "lying in a pool of blood" on Saturday night, police say.

A festival-goer stopped a police officer at around 21:14 local time (04:14 GMT on Sunday) to alert him to the incident. The man was found "lying on the ground, obviously deceased" at a campsite, Pershing County Sheriff's Office said.

The body was discovered as the Man - a towering structure which lends the event its name - was beginning to burn. The victim has not been identified.

Burning Man Project said it was co-operating with law enforcement and urged those at the event not to interfere with the investigation.

Part of the site in the Black Rock Desert was cordoned off as on-site police began investigating alongside a forensics team.

Sheriff Jerry Allen said "several participants in the immediate area" were interviewed.

"Although this act appears to be a singular crime, all participants should always be vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances," he warned.

A significant police presence would remain at the scene as the investigation continued, he added.

Burning Man draws tens of thousands of attendees to Black Rock City - which the organisers describe as "a temporary metropolis" put up in the desert annually to host the event, which this year ends on Monday.

Fatalities have been reported at the festival in the past, including a death during torrential rain in 2023, and a man who ran into the Man while it was on fire in 2017.

Correction 3 September: This article originally reported that a murder investigation had been launched and was amended to make clear that this is a homicide investigation, an umbrella term which in the US encompasses a range of possible criminal offences.