A female festival-goer has died after collapsing at this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, just prior to the festival’s second weekend of shows.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oakland woman Kimchi Truong, 24, collapsed at the festival on Saturday, 12th April, and was immediately taken to the nearby JFK Memorial Hospital. She was later transferred to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where she died at 2:30pm Thursday, 17th April.
Sgt. Curt James of the Riverside County sheriff-coroner’s office said his department were “testing to find out whether drugs or alcohol are involved in the death”. James could not confirm that the incident was overdose related, and stated that the exact cause of death may not be known for up to six weeks.
According to the LA Times, Sgt. James said that he believed this is the first death at the 2014 iteration of the annual desert festival.
Coachella Festival promoter Goldenvoice have described the death of Truong as an “apparent drug overdose”. In an official statement, Goldenvoice said:
“The individual was seen by on-site medical staff and later transferred to JFK Memorial Hospital and later to Desert Regional Medical Center. We are saddened to learn the individual has died. We believe this to be an unfortunate but isolated incident. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends.”
The Coachella festival, which is being held on back-to-back weekends for the third year in a row, takes place on the grounds of the Empire Polo Club in Idio. This year’s festival features artists such as Pixies, Arcade Fire, Muse, Little Dragon and Outkast.
