The B.C. Coroners Service (BCCS) issued a public safety warning Wednesday amid “a recent increase in deaths caused by toxic drugs.”

The service says the number of toxic drug deaths has risen faster than expected since October when it warned the province was on track to surpass its previous grim record for the number of toxic drug deaths in a year.

The BCCS says preliminary numbers indicate toxic drugs are suspected in more than 200 deaths in November and the province has averaged about seven toxic drug deaths per day for the past seven weeks.