3 Dead, 4 Hospitalized in Suspected Mass Drug Overdose in Pittsburgh: Police

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Police believe the victims went to the same party or venue before gathering at an apartment on the South Side, where they overdosed.

Three people are dead and four have been hospitalized in what police suspect is a mass drug overdose in Pittsburgh early Sunday.

The victims are all male and were wearing orange paper wristbands when they were found, police said. Authorities believe they all went to the same party or venue before gathering at an apartment on the South Side, where they overdosed.

It was not immediately clear what drug or combination of drugs they took.

“To be clear, this was not a case of a tainted drug being passed around or distributed in large volume at a large venue which could have affected even more people. It appears to have been isolated to a single location,” the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety said in a statement. “However, police are concerned about a tainted, potentially deadly batch of drugs in the community.”

Five of the victims were found in the apartment. One was found in an elevator in the building, and another was found on the street. Those hospitalized are in serious and critical condition.

According to the apartment building, the victims did not live in the building but knew someone who did, the Associated Press reported.

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