CNN
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A driver plowed a car into a crowd at a street festival celebrating Filipino heritage in Vancouver on Saturday night, killing and injuring a number of people, officials said.
“A number of people have been killed and multiple others are injured after a driver drove into a crowd at a street festival,” the Vancouver Police Department wrote in a statement on X.
The incident happened shortly after 8 p.m local time, it said.
A suspect was arrested at the scene. He is a 30-year-old man from Vancouver, according to a police statement.
“A suspect has been arrested by Vancouver Police after several people were killed and multiple others injured at a neighborhood street party in South Vancouver earlier tonight,” police said.
“At approximately 8:14 p.m. on April 26, a man drove into a large crowd of people attending the Lapu Lapu Day Festival near East 43rd Avenue and Fraser Street. A 30-year-old suspect, a Vancouver man, was arrested at the scene,” the statement added.
The investigation, led the Vancouver Police Department’s Major Crime Section, is ongoing and police have asked members of the public to contact them with any information about the incident.
Videos from the event organizers on Instagram showed lively cultural dances and song performances throughout the day, with several food trucks and market booths lining both side of the street.
Many families with young children were seen among the attendees.
Footage taken in the aftermath of the incident and geolocated by CNN showed a tree-lined street with food stalls on either side strewn with debris. Multiple people could be seen on the ground while emergency responders worked to provide them with medical aid.
Sirens could be heard in the distance as authorities asked people to keep the area clear.
A person could be heard crying as medics rushed onto the scene pushing a stretcher.
A black SUV with a smashed front end sat in the middle of the road with the driver side door open as a police officer inspected the vehicle.
Reuters photos from the aftermath of the incident showed paramedics and ambulances at the scene, with police cordons visible.
The organizers of the street festival, a community group called Filipino BC, wrote in a statement on Instagram following the fatal incident: “We are still finding the words to express the deep heartbreak brought on by this senseless tragedy. We are devastated for the families and victims.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney mourned the dead and wounded, calling the ramming “horrific” in a statement on X.
“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 mourning with you,” he wrote.
Vancouver’s mayor also offered condolences.
“I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event,” Ken Sim wrote on X.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time.”
Sim said he would provide more information on the incident.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
