LONDON, Ont. -- Police in London, Ont., are urging drug users in the city to be vigilant after a string of suspected overdose deaths.
Chief John Pare says in a statement that five men have died over the six days, including two on Thursday.
He says the cause of death in each case is still under investigation by the coroner, but they're all suspected overdoses and at least three are believed to have involved fentanyl.
Police are urging citizens to help out by picking up a free, overdose-reversing naloxone kit from either the Middlesex-London Health Unit or a local pharmacy.
The police caution comes just days after the health unit issued a warning about a spike in suspected opioid-related overdoses in London, with 16 occurring over Monday and Tuesday alone.
In a statement on Tuesday, the city's medical officer of health called the numbers "truly alarming" and urged drug users to take precautions, including not using alone or visiting an overdose-prevention site.
The city is home to one such site and the province is reviewing applications for two more.
