At least nine people were killed when a driver plowed a vehicle through a crowd at a Filipino cultural festival in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday evening, according to local police.
Vancouver police confirmed that a 30-year-old local man, known to them, was taken into custody. “We can confirm nine people have died after a man drove through a crowd at last night’s Lapu Lapu Festival,” police said on social media platform X. “At this time, we are confident that this incident was not an act of terrorism,” they added.
The tragic incident occurred shortly after 8 p.m. near East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street, where the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party was in full swing. Thousands of attendees had gathered to celebrate the annual event, which honors a Filipino indigenous leader who resisted Spanish colonization in the 16th century.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his condolences, stating, “My heart goes out to everyone affected by the horrific events at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver last night.”
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and British Columbia Premier David Eby also shared messages of support and sympathy on social media.
Local media reported that a black SUV struck individuals who were walking or waiting near food trucks, leaving multiple victims on the ground. Emergency services rushed to the scene to assist the injured.
Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, was among the attendees at the event but left minutes before the incident occurred. “This is so horrific, I don’t even know what to say,” Singh told CTV News. “I was just there, and I just imagine the faces of the kids that I saw smiling and dancing.”
Authorities are continuing to investigate the motive behind the incident. The Lapu Lapu Festival is a significant cultural event for the Filipino community in British Columbia, officially recognized by the province in 2023.
