Burning Man cannibalism conspiracy theories spread online

Not content with claiming that the Burning Man festival in Nevada has been declared a national disaster and subject to an Ebola outbreak, social media users are now making wild accusations of attendees eating each other amid a scarcity of food.

One person has died and thousands have been left stranded in the Black Rock Desert, to the north of Reno, after storm flooding hit the usually arid region. Festivalgoers have been urged to “shelter in place” until the waters subside, as well as conserve food and other supplies. More rain is expected in the coming days.

Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said that some vehicles have been able to leave, but in doing so had churned up soft mud. The festival’s organizers urged those remaining to stay on-site until conditions improved.

Local officials said on Sunday that the death occurred during the “rain event” and was “still under investigation.” The local police force did not release the identity of the deceased or any further information about the death, but said their family had been notified.

While some have likened the situation to the savagery elucidated in the novel Lord of the Flies, many attendees have said spirits remain high and those trapped were continuing to enjoy themselves.

However, since news emerged of the flooding, some have made outlandish claims online about what was going on at the desert camp.

“There’s been several unconfirmed reports of cannibalism taking place on Saturday at Burning Man due to the dwindling food supply,” one Reddit user wrote.

They claimed: “A small group of survivors was trapped by the trash fence overnight during the rainstorm and were forced to consume one of their camp mates before making the several mile dangerous trek back to their camp on foot.”

One user of X, formerly Twitter, wrote the same evening: “We’re hearing about the first reports of Cannibalism at the Burning Man event.”

Others shared screenshots of an NPR story doctored to make the headline refer to reports of cannibalism.

It is unclear how many of the posts were made in jest. There have been no confirmed reports of festivalgoers eating each other, and the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office has not disclosed the cause of the single confirmed death.

While the Burning Man Project has urged attendees to “conserve your food, water, and fuel” and share additional supplies with others, the festival was at a “high level of readiness due to weather uncertainty.”

Newsweek approached the Burning Man Project and Pershing County Sheriff’s Office via email for comment on Monday.