Five people lost their lives in a span of nine hours due to an overdose in Kelowna on Saturday, Sept. 24.
Police in Kelowna and West Kelowna issued a toxic drug warning late in the afternoon after attending to a total of three drug overdose calls, starting at 8:13 a.m.
Resulting in a total of five daily deaths, BC Ambulance Service first arrived at the scene of an overdose at the 800 block of Saucier Avenue early on Saturday where a 32-year-old Kelowna man was found deceased in his bed.
Officers have since attended to a pair of additional drug-related incidents.
Local police warn that more overdoses are possible.
“Overdose deaths are preventable, and we have the tools we need to stop people from dying from drugs,” said Cst. Mike Della-Paolera from the Kelowna RCMP.
Adding that they are “very concerned,” RCMP are asking people engaged in substance use to practice safe usage by doing the following:
• Be prepared by using a supervised consumption site
• Do not use alone
• Test it before you ingest it
• Carry Naloxone, a critical tool that reverses an overdose
• Spread awareness to keep people safe
READ MORE: More comprehensive services required to curb B.C. drug deaths, doctor says