A woman died at the Burning Man arts festival over the weekend, authorities and organizers said. The circumstances of her death were initially unclear, but police confirmed that an investigation is currently underway to clarify the incident.

Members of the festival’s emergency services found the woman unconscious around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, the opening day of Burning Man’s week-long event program, organizers said on the festival’s website.

Organizers said emergency responders attempted life-saving measures on the woman but were ultimately unsuccessful. Sheriff’s deputies later pronounced her dead when they arrived at the scene. Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen, whose jurisdiction is about 45 miles from Nevada’s remote Black Rock Desert, where Burning Man takes place, said authorities would not release the woman’s name until they can contact her next of kin.

According to Allen, Burning Man’s emergency dispatch center notified the sheriff’s office of the “possible death of a festival attendee” just minutes after she was found unresponsive.

“Officers traveled to the address provided and confirmed the death of a participant,” the sheriff said in a statement. The office’s investigation into her death continues while an autopsy is performed to determine the official cause and manner of death, he added. CBS News has reached out to the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office for more information but has not received a response.

Both the sheriff and festival organizers sent their condolences to the woman’s friends and loved ones. Organizers said they “understand this news will be difficult for many in our community” and noted that desert rangers would be available 24/7 to provide support, as would members of Burning Man’s crisis response team.

“The safety and well-being of our employees and our community is our top priority,” they said. “We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident. The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office investigates all deaths that occur within its jurisdiction. Out of respect for the privacy of the grieving family, we will not release any further details at this time.”

Burning Man draws around 80,000 people each year to the desert playa in northwest Nevada, where visitors create a temporary metropolis and camp together. It is touted as a completely self-sufficient community focused primarily on art. Organizers refuse to strictly call Burning Man a festival, instead calling it “a city where almost everything that happens is entirely created by its citizens, who actively participate in the experience.” The “city” is destroyed by participants each year at the end of the event.

People have died at Burning Man, of which one person in 2023.