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3 people collapse in Winnipeg after using fentanyl

Winnipeg emergency services helped three people who were overdosing after using fentanyl, police say. Marek Tkach / Global News

WINNIPEG – A woman called 911 for help just before she collapsed in a fentanyl-related drug overdose Wednesday, ultimately helping three people who will recover from after-effects of the illicit drug, police say.

Winnipeg police were called about two drug overdoses in East Kildonan at about 10:30 p.m., a news release says.

They found a man and a woman who had taken fentanyl and then collapsed – but when the man collapsed, the woman called 911 before her own collapse.

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READ MORE: Fentanyl fact sheet: what it is and what it does

Police learned another man had also taken the drug with the pair and went to check on him. He also was suffering from an overdose and was taken to hospital.

All three are in hospital and expected to recover, police said, but they warned the public about the dangers of the drug, a powerful opioid used in medical settings to treat patients in extreme distress, such as end-stage cancer patients. It is anywhere from 50 to 100 times stronger than opium-related drugs such as morphine, heroin or oxycodone.

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READ MORE: Global News reporter shares heartbreaking story about losing brother to fentanyl

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