Tragedy Strikes Vancouver Filipino Festival as Vehicle Hits Crowd
Vancouver Street Festival Turns Deadly After Car Rams Into Crowd
A joyful Filipino street festival in Vancouver turned tragic on Saturday evening when a vehicle plowed through a crowd, killing several people and injuring many others, according to local police.
Authorities said the incident happened shortly after 8 p.m. near East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street, where the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party was taking place. The driver responsible for the crash has been arrested, police confirmed on social media, though further details have not yet been released. An official police update is expected around midnight local time (0700 GMT).
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reacted with sorrow, saying on X (formerly Twitter), "I am devastated to hear about the horrific events at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver earlier this evening."
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and British Columbia Premier David Eby also expressed their condolences online, sharing their shock and sadness over the incident.
Witnesses described a terrifying scene. One attendee told CTV News that they saw a black vehicle driving erratically just before it struck festival-goers. Yoseb Vardeh, co-owner of the Bao Buns food truck, recalled hearing the sudden roar of an engine.
"I got outside my food truck, I looked down the road, and there’s just bodies everywhere," Vardeh said emotionally to Postmedia. "He went through the whole block, straight down the middle."
Thousands of people were gathered in the area to celebrate when the tragedy struck. Among those attending was Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, who left the festival just minutes before the vehicle tore through the crowd.
"This is so horrific, I don't even know what to say," Singh told CTV News. "I was just there... imagining the faces of the kids I saw smiling and dancing."
Authorities have not yet confirmed the motive behind the incident or the identity of the driver. Investigators are currently working at the scene.
Canada’s federal election is scheduled for Monday, adding an even heavier mood to the nation this weekend.
