Authorities say at least 25 individuals were hospitalized in West Baltimore on Thursday morning after what appears to be a mass drug overdose.

Emergency responders were called to the Penn North neighborhood around 9:20 a.m. after receiving reports of multiple people showing signs of overdose, according to fire department officials.

Five of those hospitalized were reported to be in critical condition, while several others were seriously ill.

The incident unfolded near a busy road junction, prompting the Maryland Department of Transportation to temporarily close a nearby subway stop and redirect traffic around the area.

Fire Chief James Wallace said bystanders helped guide emergency crews to victims scattered throughout the scene. People were discovered in several locations, including alleyways, along nearby streets, and even on subway platforms.

No information has been released regarding the substance believed to have caused the overdoses.

Baltimore Police shared a post on X confirming that emergency personnel were responding to “multiple individuals experiencing overdose symptoms” at the intersection. The post also advised residents to avoid the area, noting that several streets were shut down and buses rerouted as a precaution.

City State Attorney Ivan Bates commented on the situation, stating, “This serves as a powerful reminder of our city’s ongoing battle against the opioid epidemic.” He added that his office would assist emergency crews and health officials in their investigation.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore also addressed the incident, saying his administration was working closely with city leaders and first responders.

“I’m grateful to those who quickly alerted us about this situation, and those who are providing support to the community,” Mr Moore said.

In a statement later that day, Mayor Brandon Scott encouraged drug users to take precautions: avoid using drugs alone, and keep Naloxone or Narcan on hand. These overdose-reversing medications are available free of charge from the city’s health department.

Audio recordings have emerged indicating that a Texas firefighter requested emergency flood warnings be issued to residents in Kerr County nearly an hour before the first notifications were sent out.

In the audio clip, recorded at 4:22 a.m. on July 4, the responder asks whether a CodeRED alert can be dispatched. The reply from the dispatcher indicates that the request required approval from a supervisor.

Some residents reportedly got the warning about an hour later, while others didn’t receive it until several hours had passed. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha responded to questions about the delay by saying that officials were currently assembling a detailed timeline of events.

President Donald Trump is expected to visit the Texas Hill Country region, where recent flash floods have claimed at least 120 lives and left over 160 individuals unaccounted for.

Ahead of the visit, the President voiced support for implementing flood alarm systems across Texas.

He said, “having seen this horrible event, I would imagine you’d put alarms up in some form, where alarms would go up if they see any large amounts of water or whatever it is.”

The President also praised emergency crews for their response efforts, noting that “everyone’s doing a great job” and that “local officials were hit by this just like everybody else.”

Over the July 4th weekend, an estimated 100 billion gallons of rainfall caused the Guadalupe River to swell by several meters in just minutes.

Kerr County, which encompasses the city of Kerrville, was the most severely impacted by the flooding. Among the 96 confirmed fatalities in the area were 36 children, many of whom had been attending a Christian camp known as Camp Mystic.

In the dispatch audio, the firefighter says: “The Guadalupe Schumacher sign is underwater on State Highway 39.

“Is there any way we can send a CodeRED out to our Hunt residents, asking them to find higher ground or stay home?”

“Stand by, we have to get that approved with our supervisor,” the dispatcher responded.

The Texas Newsroom was the first to report on the audio, and it indicated that some residents got their alerts about an hour after the call.

The earliest confirmed alert was sent at 5:34 a.m. Kerrville’s mayor shared that he didn’t receive the notice until 90 minutes after the initial request.

For some individuals, alerts didn’t arrive until after 10 a.m., according to various reports.

Speaking at a press briefing, Sheriff Leitha said he first heard about the flooding situation between 4 and 5 a.m. He added, “we’re in the process of trying to put a timeline”.

“That’s going to take a little bit of time,” he told reporters. “That is not my priority at this time.”

The sheriff emphasized that their immediate focus remains on finding missing individuals and identifying those who died in the disaster.

Officials confirmed that no additional survivors have been rescued since the day the floods occurred.

Prior to the storm, the National Weather Service had issued alerts regarding heavy rain and the risk of flash flooding, beginning Thursday afternoon. In response, the Texas Division of Emergency Management activated emergency resources in anticipation.

Authorities cited several reasons why some people did not evacuate in time, including poor mobile connectivity, underestimation of the storm’s severity, and general alert fatigue in a region used to frequent flooding.

President Trump approved a federal disaster declaration at the request of Governor Greg Abbott, enabling FEMA to respond directly and establish a recovery centre in Kerr County.

The rescue operation includes over 2,100 personnel, supported by private aircraft, boats, drones, and cadaver dogs—all working to locate missing individuals and recover bodies beneath thick layers of mud and wreckage.

Lt. Colonel Ben Baker of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department stated on Wednesday, “These large piles (of debris) can be very obstructive, and to get deep into these piles is very hazardous.”

“It’s extremely treacherous, time consuming. It’s dirty work. It’s the water still there. So, we’re having to go layer by layer, peeling these off, to make those recoveries,” he explained.

Narges Mohammadi, the Iranian human rights advocate and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, says she’s been warned of “physical elimination” by her government, according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

The committee, which awarded her the 2023 Peace Prize for championing women’s rights in Iran, revealed that she had received indirect warnings via regime representatives and her legal team.

Chair Jorgen Watne Frydn expressed serious concern, stating he was “alarmed” by the threat and worried for “all Iranian citizens with a critical voice”.

Iran’s foreign ministry has yet to address the accusations.

According to the committee’s statement, “The threats conveyed to Ms Mohammadi make it clear that her security is at stake, unless she commits to end all public engagement within Iran, as well as any international advocacy or media appearances in support of democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression.”

Despite being imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin facility since 2021, Ms Mohammadi was named Nobel laureate while serving a 10-year sentence. Her children accepted the award on her behalf last year.

The committee previously acknowledged that her fight against gender-based repression in Iran came at an “immense personal cost”.

Her foundation reports that she has been detained on 13 occasions, found guilty in five trials, and handed combined prison terms exceeding 30 years.

In late 2024, she was briefly released on health grounds.

Over the years, Western intelligence services have identified a growing number of attempts by Iranian authorities to silence opposition voices abroad—including through kidnappings and assassination plots.

The UK government recently issued a warning about what it called a “rising” and increasingly unpredictable threat from Iran.

A parliamentary intelligence panel detailed an investigation covering Iran’s covert operations, including assassinations, surveillance, cyberattacks, and its controversial nuclear activities, based on evidence collected up to August 2023.

The report noted a “sharp increase” in threats targeting regime critics inside the United Kingdom.

Iran’s embassy in London dismissed the findings of the report.