The desert festival Burning Man kicked off Sunday in Nevada on a sour note with the death of a female attendee.
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 additional information surrounding the episode.
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this loss,” Burning Man organizers said in a news release.
The yearly event in Nevada’s remote Black Rock Desert draws tens of thousands of participants to a makeshift community replete with art and music.
Shortly before 11:30 a.m., emergency services with the festival responded to reports of an unresponsive female and immediately began lifesaving measures, but were unable to revive her, festival organizers said. The Pershing County Sheriff’s Department were called to the scene at 11:37 a.m. for a possible death.
Deputies confirmed the woman’s death when they arrived, the Sheriff’s Department said in a news release posted to Facebook.
The cause and manner of her death remains the center of an investigation and will be determined after an autopsy is performed, authorities announced. The participant’s name was being 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.