A 23-year-old student who was attending the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was struck and killed by a freight train just a few miles away from the event 's California site , police said on Monday . Jannik Andersen , a student at the University of Colorado , was hit by the train in the 45000 block of Pacific Street in Indio , four miles north-east of Coachella 's grounds , shortly after 3am on Saturday . He was pronounced dead less than 40 minutes later . Police have launched an investigation into the incident . It remains unclear why Andersen was on the train tracks instead of at the music festival . Tragic : Jannik Andersen ( pictured ) , an attendee at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was struck and killed by a freight train just a few miles away from the event 's California site , police said on Monday . Farewell : On Monday night , Mac DeMarco , a performer at the festival , took to Twitter to pay his respects to the fan , who was struck by a Union Pacific train . He told his 78,000 followers : 'RIP Jannik Andersen ' Speaking to the Daily Camera , Sergeant Deborah Gray , of Riverside coroner 's office said it was too early to determine whether alcohol or drugs were involved in the Boulder student 's tragic death . On Monday , friends were paying tribute to Andersen , who was a non-degree seeking Continuing Education student from San Diego . They described him as a 'genuine ' and always 'happy ' man . Zac Hoffman , who also attends the university in Boulder , told the news site that the student was the 'happiest dude in the world ' , while Cody Cooper said he was 'the most genuine and energetic ' friend . Cooper added that Andersen had previously attended Coachella , and was especially excited to be joining the tens of thousands of people watching AC/DC and Mac DeMarco at this year 's event . 'He had the wildest and strangest taste in music , but they were always great tunes , ' he said . Festival : Andersen , a student at the University of Colorado , was hit by the train on tracks in Indio , four miles northeast of Coachella 's grounds , shortly after 3am on Saturday . Above , crowds at the festival on Sunday . Use that big smile to guide others ' : Twitter user Jackson Moore posted a photo of Andersen beaming and drinking soda in the snow to the social network , writing : 'Only met a couple times but u were full of love ' Friend : A young man named Ryan Douglas , who appears to have been one of Andersen 's friends , also took to the site to express his sadness at the college student 's death . He thanked others for reaching out to him . Flying over : Douglas is among many of Andersen 's friends to be flying to San Diego for his funeral this week . On Monday night , Canadian singer Mac DeMarco himself took to Twitter to pay his respects to the fan , who was struck by a Union Pacific train . He told his 78,000 followers : 'RIP Jannik Andersen ' . At around the same time , Twitter user Jackson Moore posted a photo of Andersen beaming and drinking soda in the snow to the site , writing : 'Only met a couple times but u were full of love . He added : 'Use that big smile to guide those you left behind . ' Andersen 's many friends , who live as far away as Australia and Britain , are said to be planning to fly to San Diego for a funeral for the student , who graduated from Torrey Pines High School in 2009 . Scene : The Riverside coroner 's office said it was too early to determine whether alcohol or drugs were involved in Andersen 's death . Above , the 45000 block of Pacific Street , near where the crash occurred . The service is expected to be held near Andersen 's home later this week . The first weekend of Coachella , which drew around 90,000 music fans , came to a close on Sunday night . The popular festival will start again on Friday , with performances from an array of artists . These include Azealia Banks , Alabama Shakes , Jack White , Florence and the Machine , and more . Indio police and Union Pacific Railroad Police are investigating Andersen 's death .
Jannik Andersen , Saturday , was attending Coachella music festival at weekend . He was struck and killed by a freight train at 3am 23 , officials said . Crash occurred in Pacific Street in Indio , four miles north-east of festival . Coroner says it is too early to tell whether drugs or alcohol played a role . Andersen , a student in Boulder , described by friends as a 'genuine dude ' Singer at festival , Mac DeMarco , said on Twitter : 'RIP Jannik Andersen '