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Six people dead after Cleveland police respond to 25 opiate-related incidents during weekend

Posted at 12:57 PM, Feb 05, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-05 15:28:39-05

CLEVELAND -- Six people are dead after Cleveland police responded to 25 opiate-related incidents this weekend.

According to police, seven incidents occurred Friday, including one fatality.

Then Saturday night into early Sunday morning, officers responded to 18 incidents. Twenty victims were treated, and five people died.

Officials have not given the circumstances behind the incidents, including the victims' identities. An update is expected Monday.

Cleveland.com reports Cuyahoga County saw more than 500 overdose deaths last year, most linked to opiates.

In Hamilton County, preliminary data show there were about 200 overdose deaths last year -- less than half as many as in 2015. But health officials say they're always on guard.

"One of the concerns we keep hearing is, 'What is the next, new synthetic opioid?'" Cincinnati's interim health commissioner, Dr. Marilyn Crumpton, told a City Council committee last month.

Check back for the latest on this developing story.