Four people died from suspected drug poisonings in Richmond in March, according to the latest statistics from the BC Coroners Service.
The statistics saw an increase from the one death recorded in February, while the province as a whole recorded 192 deaths during March. This means about 6.2 deaths happened per day in B.C. during March and marks an eight-per-cent increase in deaths compared to February and 11 per cent increase compared to March 2023.
The number of suspected toxic drug deaths in Richmond in 2023 was updated from 26 to 27 by the BC Coroners Service.
Statistics show most deaths in B.C. continue to occur in private residences at 47.4 per cent, followed by 32.2 per cent in other residences. 15.2 per cent of the deaths in March happened outside.
Smoking was the most common mode of consumption, according to the BC Coroners Report, followed by nasal insufflation, injection and oral.
More than 70 per cent of those who died in 2024 were aged 30 to 59 and 71 per cent were male, but the rate of death among females in 2024 has almost doubled since 2020, reads the report.
According to the City of Richmond's community safety report dated April 12, Richmond Fire-Rescue attended to a total of 35 overdose and poisoning incidents in March, including five opioid overdose incidents in an outdoor environment and eight in an indoor environment.
A map attached to the report shows a cluster of indoor overdose incidents in the Minoru Boulevard and Granville Avenue area, and another cluster including indoor and outdoor incidents along Garden City Road.
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