Several people were killed and many others injured in Vancouver after a vehicle drove into a crowd at a Filipino street festival, according to police reports on Saturday.
Authorities said they were investigating a mass casualty event and had arrested a 30-year-old Vancouver man at the scene. However, they did not immediately disclose the number of fatalities or injuries, promising to provide further details the next morning.
During a midnight press conference, police stated that the suspect was “known” to them but offered no additional information. The man was initially detained by bystanders at the scene. The incident occurred just after 8 p.m. (0300 GMT) near East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street, where the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party, honoring a Philippine national hero, was taking place.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed his devastation on social media, and Vancouver’s Mayor Ken Sim and British Columbia Premier David Eby also shared their condolences.
A witness reported seeing a black vehicle driving erratically just before the crowd was struck.
Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, had been attending the event but had left minutes before the incident occurred. “This is so horrific, I don’t even know what to say,” Singh was quoted as saying. “I was just there, and I just imagine the faces of the kids that I saw smiling and dancing.”
The incident occurred just days before Canada’s federal election on Monday. The Vancouver Sun reported that thousands had gathered at the festival. Yoseb Vardeh, co-owner of Bao Buns food truck, described the scene, saying he heard the engine rev before seeing bodies spread across the road. “He went through the whole block, he went straight down the middle,” Vardeh said, his voice breaking.
