Amidst the unexpected downpour at the Burning Man festival in Nevada desert, rumors of Ebola and cannibalism have surfaced on social media
Reports of Burning Man participants stranded at the festival because of severe rain and mud have led to numerous conspiracy theories on social media. As people attempt to depart from Black Rock City, the ephemeral community established in the heart of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, social media users have started speculating regarding the possible events taking place.
During the weekend, a deluge of false information inundated the internet. Rumors ranged from claims of an Ebola outbreak at Burning Man to reports that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was air-dropping MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). The situation escalated to the point where the event was declared a national emergency, and the National Guard was said to be on its way.
The festival organizers issued a tweet through an affiliated account on Sunday, advising attendees to "use food and water sparingly," as the festival's entrance and exit gates were still shut.
The absence of communication signals and the remote location have led to the dissemination of unfounded rumors of cannibalism on various social media platforms.
A seemingly humorous tweet, suggesting the occurrence of cannibalism at the Burning Man event, has unfortunately led some people to mistakenly perceive it as factual information.
On the subreddit r/BurningMan, a user named SunDiegoSurfer made a satirical post titled "Unconfirmed Reports of Cannibalism," seemingly poking fun at authorities who advised festival attendees with humor, suggesting that resorting to cannibalism should only be considered as a last-ditch option if their food supplies were completely depleted.
People have been circulating deceptive tweets, attempting to portray them as originating from the official Burning Man account. To clarify, there have been no documented instances of cannibalism at the festival. However, it has been confirmed that one person has tragically passed away. Specifics regarding the incident and the victim's identity remain undisclosed to the public. Burning Man Communications has issued a statement, asserting that this incident is "unrelated to the weather."