The Burning Man desert festival kicked off Sunday in Nevada on a sour note with the death of a female participant.
The woman, whose name was not released, was found dead just hours after the festival opened. The cause of death is under investigation; Festival organizers announced the death but did not provide any further information surrounding the episode.
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this loss,” That’s what the Burning Man organizers say in a press release.
The annual event in Nevada’s remote Black Rock Desert draws tens of thousands of attendees to a makeshift community filled with art and music.
Just before 11:30 a.m., emergency responders with the festival responded to reports of an unresponsive woman and immediately began life-saving measures, but were unable to revive her, festival organizers said. The Pershing County Sheriff’s Department was called to the scene at 11:37 a.m. for a possible fatality.
Deputies confirmed the woman’s death when they arrived, the The Sheriff’s Department said in a press release on Facebook.
The cause and manner of her death remain the focus of an investigation and will be determined after an autopsy is performed, authorities said. The participant’s name was withheld until her next of kin could be notified.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends” of the person who died, Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen said in a statement.