At least nine people have been killed after a car was driven into a crowd at the Vancouver Street Festival, police confirmed.
Officials in Western Canada said “several other multiple” were injured during the incident, which occurred at the street festival on Saturday at approximately 20:14 local time (03:14 GMT on Sunday).
Police said the 30-year-old male suspect was in custody and “I am confident that this incident is not an act of terrorism.” An investigation into the incident is underway.
Police said the suspects pushed him to pedestrians at the annual Lapu Lapu Festival, celebrating Philippine culture at East 43rd Avenue and Fraser, south of Vancouver.
Steve Ly, interim chief of Vancouver police, said at a press conference that there was a vehicle and one suspect involved in the incident. He said details will be released in the morning.
Yoseb Vardeh, the owner of a food truck that sells Bao Buns at the festival, told BBC World Service that the attack happened right in front of his van.
“This guy, he killed some of my clients,” he said. “There was someone waiting for the bread that was hit.”
Vardeh added: “I went outside the food truck and saw the bodies under people’s food trucks, husbands screaming for their wives and children…it was just horrifying.”
Unverified footage posted on social media showed many police cars, ambulances and fire engines lying on the ground at the scene.
In a statement on X, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “devastated to hear about the horrifying events at Vancouver’s Lapu-Lapu Festival.”
He continued: “I express my deepest sadness to the loved ones of those killed and wounded, to the Canadian community in the Philippines, and to all those in Vancouver. We are all mourning with you.”
He also thanked the emergency responders for their “quick action.”
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said he was “shocked and deeply saddened by the horrifying incident,” adding that “his idea is between people affected during this incredibly difficult time and the Filipino community in Vancouver.”
Peter Fry, one of Vancouver’s city councillors, told the BBC that local residents are struggling to deal with what happened.
“This celebration was a huge, fun, lively, family-friendly street party, and a great event. It was so fast and unexpectedly, I think our entire city is shocked,” he said.
Lapu Lapu Day is celebrated annually in the Philippines on April 27th, commemorating Lapu-Lapu, a national hero who resisted Spanish colonization.
The festival was officially established in Vancouver in 2023. The website says it “symbolizes the cultural harmony and mutual respect that thrives in British Columbia.”
The attacks have led to leaders of various political parties sharing the message of sadness.
Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Polyave called the incident a “meaningless attack,” and said David Ebby, the leader of the New Democrats in British Columbia, was “shocked and heartbroken.”
Jagmeet Singh, the new Democratic leader, attended the festival, but was not present when the incident occurred – said that innocent people were killed and injured, “terrifying to learn.”
“While we wait to learn more, our idea is with the victims and their families, and the Filipino community in Vancouver, whom we came together today to celebrate resilience,” he added.
Singh, Poilievre and Carney are all operating in the federal elections in Canada on Monday. The Burnaby Central constituency in Singh is just east of where the incident occurred.
