Vancouver (AP) – a car struck outlets at a street festival in Canada, killing and hurting an unknown number of people at the event celebrating the Philippine culture, police said.
The vehicle enters the street where people visit the Lapu Lapu Day Festival at 8:14 pm Saturday, the Vancouver Police Department said in a social media publication.
“A number of people were killed and many others were injured after a driver was entering a crowd,” police said. The exact number of victims was not available immediately.
A 30-year-old man from Vancouver was arrested at the scene, and the main part of the crime of the department was watching the investigation, police said.
“At that time, we are confident that this incident was not an act of terrorism,” the police department said early Sunday.
The festival was held in the South Vancouver neighborhood. A video posted on social media has shown that casualties and debris are scattered through a long stretch of the road, with at least seven people lying stationary on the ground. Black SUV with crushed front stretch can be seen in fixed photos from the scene.
James Cruzat, the owner of a business in Vancouver, was at the event and heard a car rotating his engine, and then a “loud noise, like a loud blow” that he initially thought could be a rifle.
“We saw people on the way to cry, others were like running, shouting, or even screaming, asking for help. So we tried to go there just to check what was really happening until we found some bodies on earth. Others were lifeless, others like, you know, Crusat said.
“It was terrible to see this kind of incident, this situation. It was heartbreaking,” Crusat said. “I couldn’t even imagine that it was actually happening in real life, because we usually see that on TVs or movies. But when you were in such a situation, it was really shocking … … you couldn’t do anything but pray for them.”
Vancouver Mayor Kenneth Sim said in a social media publication that the city would provide more information when possible.
“I’m shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident of today’s Lapu Lapu event,” Sim said. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected and with the Philippine community of Vancouver during this incredibly difficult time.”
Vancouver has over 38,600 inhabitants of the Philippine Heritage in 2021, representing 5.9% of the city’s total population, according to Canada statistics, the agency that conducts the national census.
Day Lapu Lapu celebrates Datu Lapu-Lapu, a root leader who faced Spanish researchers who came to the Philippines in the 16th century. The organizers of the event in Vancouver said “represents the soul of local resistance, a powerful force that helped to shape the Philippine identity in the face of colonization.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney and other Canadian political figures have published reports expressing a shock of violence, condolences to victims and support for the community celebrating their heritage at the festival.
“I suggest my deepest condolences to the relatives of the killed and wounded, the Philippine Canadian community and all in Vancouver. All of us mourning with you,” Carney wrote.
“While we are waiting to learn more, our thoughts are with the victims and their families – and the Philippine community of Vancouver, who are gathering today to celebrate resilience,” writes Jaget Singh, the leader of the new Democratic Party, which was at the festival earlier during the day.
“My thoughts are with the Philippine community and all the victims aimed at this pointless attack. Thank you to the first answers that are in place while we wait for us to hear more,” writes conservative party leader Pierre Polyver.
David Eby, the Prime Minister of British Colombia, the province of Vancouver, said he was shocked and broken. “We are in contact with the city of Vancouver and will provide any necessary support,” Eby writes.