Burning Man: Thousands begin to leave festival grounds

Nevada: Revellers stranded at the Burning Man festival finally started to make their way home on Monday.

Torrential rains had brought the event to a halt, leaving tens of thousands of people stuck.

Hundreds of trucks and vehicles rode out of the counterculture festival after organizers said it was safe for people to leave.

It was raining harder on Sunday afternoon than the previous two days, which is why there were questions about when people could leave.

The way out is a 5-mile (8-kilometre) dirt road to the nearest highway. The annual festival takes place at a remote desert in the southwestern US state of Nevada.

The temporary airport for partygoers was reopened on Monday, according to an account associated with the festival.

All outgoing flights headed to Reno, a city about 100 miles from the festival grounds.

What happened at Burning Man?
About 70,000 attendees at the festival were stuck after heavy downpours turned the remote desert into a muddy mess.

Roads in and out of the festival, which appeared all but over by Saturday, were closed. Authorities asked people to conserve food and water.

A person also died at the festival, with police investigating the case. The reason for the person's death has not yet been disclosed.

Even though summer in the area is typically dry, a rare rainstorm Friday evening dumped about two to three months' of rain, saturating the place.

Some partygoers are choosing to stay back for the burning of a manlike figure that brings the event to an official close.