By James Queally
Los Angeles Times
(MCT)
A woman died at the counterculture Burning Man festival in Nevada early Thursday morning after she fell underneath a bus, according to a statement issued by the festival.
The victim, who was not identified, fell underneath a bus carrying festival participants, according to the statement.
“This is a terrible accident,” Burning Man co-founder Marian Goodell said in the statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends and campmates. Black Rock Rangers and Emergency Services Department staff are providing support to those affected.”
Festival officials did not release other details.
The Burning Man festival, a famously unplanned music event and gathering best known for the image of a smoldering wooden human effigy, moved to the Black Rock Desert outside Reno in 1990. The event began in San Francisco in 1986.
This year’s event has already been hampered by heavy downpours, which forced organizers to close access to the festival while local authorities turned traffic away from the desert and back toward Reno, as many vehicles became trapped in standing water.
A record 68,000 people attended Burning Man in 2013.