3 dead in New Mexico and first responders treated for exposure to unknown substance

Three people are dead and more than a dozen first responders had to be quarantined and assessed Wednesday for possible exposure to an unidentified substance after being called to a suspected drug overdose at a rural New Mexico home, authorities said. New Mexico State Police said three of the four people who were found unresponsive inside the home east of Albuquerque died. The fourth was being treated at a hospital in Albuquerque.

During the response, authorities said, first responders were exposed to the substance and began experiencing symptoms including nausea and dizziness. Officials at University of New Mexico Hospital confirmed that 23 patients who were exposed to an unknown substance were assessed and decontaminated after being transported to the hospital.

Read more: ABC7