Two women are dead, and two men remain in critical condition following what police say was an apparent drug overdose at a beach access point west of Victoria on Vancouver Island.
In a statement Friday, West Shore RCMP said they responded to reports of four individuals in “medical distress” in a parking area at the Taylor Road beach access in Metchosin at approximately 6:25 a.m.
Police said they discovered a vehicle in the parking lot with all its doors open. Nearby, four individuals were found lying on the ground.
Emergency crews from B.C. Emergency Health Services and the Metchosin Fire Department conducted life-saving measures, according to the Mounties, but two women were pronounced dead at the scene while two men, who were also suffering from apparent drug overdoses, were transported to hospital and are in critical condition.
“Drug use was apparent at the time, leading us to suspect that drug overdose was the cause for all four of these individuals’ medical issues,” said Const. Andrew Matheson with the West Shore RCMP.
“Anecdotally, I’ve never seen four people suffer an overdose simultaneously to this degree,” he added.
All four people have been identified, and RCMP are currently notifying their families. Although personal details have not been released, Matheson said it’s believed the victims were residents of the South Island.
Police say the B.C. Coroners Service has been informed, and foul play is not suspected.
While officials have not specified the types of drugs involved, they have seized all remaining substances from the scene. An investigation will continue to determine whether further testing of the drugs is necessary, according to Const. Matheson.
Access to the beach and surrounding roads may be restricted during the investigation, police said.
The deaths happened the same day the B.C. Coroners Service announced at least 192 people had died in July in B.C. due to unregulated drug toxicity, with approximately 1,365 drug-related deaths recorded so far this year.
The number of illicit drug deaths in B.C. has surpassed 15,000 since the province declared a public health emergency in 2016.
The annualized death rate is 41 per 100,000 residents, compared to 46.6 in 2023 and 43.9 in 2021.