Nine people died of fentanyl opioid abuse in the Canadian city of Vancouver in just the past 24 hours, Mayor Gregor Robertson said Friday.

Flanked by the city's police chief and other emergency officials, Robertson lauded harm reduction services such as drug consumption rooms in the city but said more treatment options are urgently needed.

"It's desperate times in Vancouver and it's hard to see any silver lining right now when we haven't hit rock bottom," he warned.