Yukon RCMP and the Yukon Coroner’s Service are investigating a man’s death in Whitehorse.

On Wednesday evening, a 51-year-old man died suddenly at the Whitehorse General Hospital, police said Thursday afternoon.

His name has not been released.

Heather Jones, the Yukon’s acting chief coroner, told the Star the man’s death falls under the territorial Coroner’s Act because he had been in the hospital fewer than 24 hours.

An autopsy has been ordered for Sept. 5 at Vancouver General Hospital to determine the cause of death.

The investigation by the Yukon RCMP’s Major Crimes Unit and the Coroner’s Service is in its early stages and ongoing.

A sudden death is any kind of death that happens unexpectedly.

It can include suicide, homicide, accidents, undiagnosed illness, or sudden natural causes like a heart attack or brain hemorrhage.

Jones said the RCMP and the Coroner’s Service regularly work together on sudden death investigations, and determining which department will take the lead depends on whether the case is criminal.