Several people have been killed and injured after a car plowed into visitors at a Filipino heritage festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Vancouver Police Department said the car drove into the crowd at the Filipino community festival after 8 pm (local time) on Saturday.
Local media said the incident left 8 people dead, including one child.
Global News sources said at least six others were injured in the incident.
Police said they had taken the 30-year-old male suspect driving the black SUV used to ram the crowd into custody.
“Lapu Lapu Day festival was amazing and everybody was having such a great time. And so I heard the news and came here,” Vancouver city councilor Pete Fry said, adding that he was “pretty choked up” and lost for words as he tried not to shed tears.
Vancouver authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
The investigation led by the Vancouver Police Department’s Major Crime Section is ongoing and the public has been asked to come forward and to contact them with any information about the incident.
Lapu Lapu Day is one of the largest celebrations of Filipino culture, commemorating a national hero who showed resistance against the first European colonizers.
In 2023, the government of British Columbia officially recognized Lapu-Lapu Day on April 27, acknowledging the cultural contributions of the Filipino-Canadian community, one of the largest immigrant groups in the province.
