A vehicle ploughed into a crowd celebrating a Filipino street festival in Vancouver on Saturday night, killing at least nine people and injuring multiple others, police said on Sunday.
A 30-year-old man, identified by police as the sole suspect, was arrested at the scene of the incident, which took place around 8:15 p.m. local time (0315 GMT Sunday) during the annual Lapu Lapu Day block party.
Authorities have not yet provided a possible motive for the incident but said they were not treating it as an act of terrorism.
Vancouver Police Department acting chief Steve Rai told a news briefing on Sunday that the suspect drove into a large crowd gathered for the festival. The man was apprehended by members of the public at the scene before police arrived, Rai said.
Rai confirmed the suspect was "known to police in certain circumstances" but did not elaborate.
The Lapu Lapu Day block party is an annual event organized by Vancouver's Filipino community to commemorate a 16th-century Indigenous leader from the Philippines known for his resistance against colonial forces.
In a statement issued on Sunday via social media, the event organizers expressed their grief. "We are still finding the words to express the deep heartbreak brought on by this senseless tragedy," the statement read. "We are devastated for the families and victims."
Kris Pangilinan, a witness to the crash, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in a radio interview that he saw "countless" bodies after the vehicle accelerated into the crowd.
"This car slowly started to pick up speed, and then hit someone," Pangilinan said, adding that the vehicle continued to drive through the crowd, vanishing from his view while still striking people. "It just kept going and going and going. People were just screaming and trying to run away," he said. "It looked like we were in a war zone."
Pangilinan also stated that a wooden barrier blocking access to the street had been removed shortly before the incident occurred, which happened as crowds were dispersing after a performance by Apl.de.ap, a member of the Black Eyed Peas.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney offered his condolences following the tragedy. "I am devastated to hear about the horrific events at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver earlier this evening," he wrote on the social media platform X, adding that authorities were closely monitoring the situation.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim also expressed his sorrow. "I am shocked and deeply saddened," Sim wrote, extending his thoughts to all those affected and to Vancouver's Filipino community during this difficult time.
Article Source/Reference: People killed, injured at Vancouver festival after vehicle runs into crowd - The Washington Post
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