Fraser Health Authority has issued an overdose alert after first responders reported at least 12 overdoses in Surrey on Sunday.

A press release notes that 鈥渞eports suggest some of these overdoses have been connected to cocaine contaminated with an opioid like fentanyl.鈥�

In 2018, 210 people died from drug overdoses in Surrey, up from 178 in 2017. Surrey was surpassed only by Vancouver, which had 382 overdose deaths in 2018. Across B.C. last year there were 1,489 overdose deaths.

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15 people died of overdose in last December alone. This graf tells the story better than I ever could.

鈥� Amy Marie Reid (@amyreid87)

鈥淭he almost 1,500 deaths in B.C. in 2018 due to illicit drug overdoses far outweigh the numbers of people dying from motor vehicle incidents, homicides and suicides combined,鈥� said B.C.鈥檚 chief coroner Lisa Lapointe. 鈥淚nnovative and evidence-based approaches are necessary if we want to effect meaningful change and stop the dying. We need to be prepared to do things differently to save lives.鈥�

According to data compiled through toxicology reports, fentanyl was detected in 85 per cent of all deaths last year, up from 82 per cent in 2017.

Nearly five times as many men died compared to women.

Also for a second year, not a single death happened at an overdose prevention site or safe consumption site, Fraser Health reports.