Hand to hand drug deal taking place/via Crimestoppers
Eight people in Kamloops are suspected to have died from unregulated drug toxicity in October, bringing the city’s total for 2025 to 50 deaths, according to preliminary data from the BC Coroners Service.
The new figures come as the province recorded 150 suspected drug-toxicity deaths in October, averaging nearly five deaths per day across British Columbia. The year-to-date provincial total now stands at 1,538 deaths.
While Kamloops’ total remains below the record 92 deaths in 2022 and 90 in 2024, the city continues to face a persistent and deadly public health crisis. Interior Health officials say the rate of deaths in Kamloops remains among the highest in the region.
Provincewide, 70 per cent of people who have died this year were between 30 and 59 years old, and 77 per cent were male. Fentanyl and its analogues were detected in 69 per cent of expedited toxicology tests, followed by fluorofentanyl (53%), cocaine (53%), and methamphetamine (52%). Smoking remained the most common mode of consumption, involved in 65 per cent of deaths, followed by nasal use (11%), injection (10%), and oral ingestion (5%).
Nearly half of all deaths in B.C. occurred in private residences, compared with 21 per cent outdoors—a pattern reflected in Kamloops, where people frequently use drugs alone and without immediate access to help.
The Coroners Service also noted troubling trends, including an increase in stimulant detection—over 90 per cent of suspected deaths in October involved a stimulant, up from about 80 per cent in October 2024. Youth deaths are rising as well, with 21 people aged 18 or younger dying so far this year, compared with 17 during the same period in 2024.
“The eight suspected deaths in October are a sobering reminder that this crisis continues to take lives every day,” said a BC Coroners Service spokesperson. “Each death is preventable, and ongoing harm reduction and support services are essential.”
All data remains preliminary and may change as additional toxicology results are received and investigations conclude.
