In a Wednesday afternoon news brief, the Trail RCMP reported that two men died suddenly over the long weekend: both deaths are suspected drug overdoses.
The first occurred on Glover Road, in Trail, just after midnight on Thursday, Aug. 29.
The RCMP say that front line officers and BC EHS (Emergency Health Services; ambulance paramedics) responded to a report of a sudden death of a 36-year-old Trail man.
First responders suspected the man succumbed to a drug overdose while he was asleep.
Police confirm his death is not considered to be suspicious at this time.
The matter has been turned over to the BC Coroner Service for further investigation.
Police were called to a second sudden death in a residence on Short Street, in Trail, Sunday, Sept. 1, at 10 p.m.
Front line officers and BC EHS attended to a report that a 36-year-old Trail man had died suddenly.
Officers suspected that the man succumbed to a drug overdose while he was asleep overnight.
His death is not considered to be suspicious at this time.
Police say a substance suspected to be street drugs was seized from the scene.
The matter was turned over to the BC Coroner Service for further investigation.
"Street drugs can be very toxic and have caused a spike in deaths amongst the user population in recent years," says Sgt. Mike Wicentowich, Trail detachment commander.
"Fentanyl, a particularly powerful synthetic opioid, poses a serious risk of death due to its potency in small quantities."
Wicentowich adds, "Narcan can counteract these effects and can mean the difference between life and death for someone experiencing an overdose."
For more information about the opioid crisis, visit Help Starts Here: helpstartshere.gov.bc.ca.
The provincial website was created to provide people from all over British Columbia with the tools necessary to navigate access to services and resources they need.
The site has over 2,600 service listings publicly-funded or not-for-profit mental health and substance use supports and many articles featuring easy to understand language and curated information about commonly searched topics.
