The overdoses were concentrated downtown before spreading across the city.
Officials in Austin, Texas, are investigating an “outbreak” of deadly drug overdoses spreading across the city.
Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS) and the Austin Police Department (APD) said they received a total of 51 calls for suspected overdoses as of Tuesday afternoon, with four suspected deaths related to the surge, according to local ABC News affiliate KVUE.
APD said overdose patients range in age from 20s to 50s and across racial/ethnic groups, KVUE reported. Those who died from overdoses have not been identified but their ages range from mid-30s to mid-50s.
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ATCEMS said it usually receives two or three overdose calls per day, but the number of calls on Monday equated to a 1,000% increase in call volume, according to Dr. Heidi Abraham, deputy medical director for ATCEMS.