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One Person Dies At This Year's EDC In Las Vegas

edc-2014.jpg
A crowd at EDC in 2014 (Photos by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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One person has died already at this year's Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas.As the 2015 edition of EDC goes into its third and final day at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Metro Police says over 400 medical calls were made on day 2 of the festival, including seven who had to be taken to the hospital and the one fatality. "I'd hate to have another tragedy," Clark County Fire Chief Jon Klassen told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The coroner has yet to release the cause of death or the identity of the deceased.

The combination of drug and alcohol use that is typical at raves such as EDC and the extreme temperatures of the desert can be a deadly combination. The AP says temperatures reached 113 degrees on Saturday afternoon. Last year saw the death of two EDC attendees, including a 24-year old man from California who died of an overdose. Authorities remind attendees to stay hydrated.

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures are expected to reach as high as 111 degrees, but should dip to the low 80s once the festival ends early Monday morning.

Festival organizers say about 135,000 people attended Saturday. Las Vegas Metro Police also reported 26 arrests for felony drug charges, and KVVU reports one person was arrested for a DUI.

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