The police have taken the suspected driver, 30, in custody. Visuals from the site of the accident showed dead bodies strewn around in the street.
In a tragic incident in Canada’s Vancouver, several people were killed and many others injured after a driver driving through a crowded street during a festival struck individuals.
The Vancouver Police said that at 8:14 pm on Saturday, a man drove into a large crowd of people participating in the Lapu Lapu Day Festival near East 43rd Avenue and Fraser Street.
The police have taken the suspected driver, 30, in custody. Visuals from the site of the accident showed dead bodies strewn around in the street. The mass casualty incident in south Vancouver is being investigated by the police.
“A number of people have been killed and multiple others are injured after a driver drove into a crowd at a street festival. The investigation is ongoing and is being led by the Vancouver Police Department’s Major Crime Section. Anyone with information is asked to call 604-717-2500,” the police said in a post on X.
What did the eyewitnesses say?
Witnesses told local media that a black SUV drove into the festival at high speed, ploughing through the crowd and hitting several people. They said the driver of the vehicle was a young Asian man who appeared to be mentally disturbed. Several videos of the horrific incident have surfaced on social media, showing bodies lying on the road after the car attack.
PM Carney expresses grief
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “deeply saddened” to learn of the incident at the Lapu Lapu celebration in Vancouver. “I offer my deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver. We are all grieving with you. We are closely monitoring the situation,” he said.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim also expressed his sorrow, saying, “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the terrible incident at the Lapu Lapu Day event.”
What is the Lapu Lapu Festival?
The festival commemorates Datu Lapu-Lapu, a 16th-century Filipino anti-colonial leader. Lapu-Lapu is celebrated as the Philippines’ first national hero, known for leading the resistance against Spanish colonists in the Battle of Mactan in 1521
