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A rash of drug overdoses on the Downtown Eastside is prompting a warning from the Vancouver police.

Three people died in overdoses overnight and into this morning.

In the last four days, 17 non-fatal overdoses in Vancouver, most in the Downtown Eastside, were also recorded.

The three fatalities include a 24-year-old man in Downtown Vancouver, a 35-year-old man in East Vancouver and a woman believed to be in her mid-20s in the city’s Downtown Eastside.

Various drugs from the scenes of the overdose deaths have been seized and forwarded for analysis, but police expect to find fentanyl in many of those samples.

READ MORE: Fentanyl 101: The facts and dangers

Fentanyl is a synthetic narcotic that is 50 to 100 times more toxic than other opioids.

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Early signs of a fentanyl overdose include severe sleepiness, slow heartbeat, trouble breathing or slow, shallow breathing or snoring, cold, clammy skin and trouble with walking or talking.

Drug users are advised to never inject, snort, or swallow drugs alone and call 9-1-1 immediately if overdose symptoms start.

Police say the warning follows other recent concerns over stolen fentanyl patches and counterfeit Percocets and is intended for seasoned and recreational drug users.