New Delhi: At least nine people were killed and many more injured after a man drove through a crowd at a Filipino community festival in Canada’s Vancouver on Saturday evening.
Canadian police arrested a 30-year-old man, who was “known” to them, reported Reuters.
Filipinos in Vancouver were enjoying Lapu Lapu festival, which honours Datu Lapu-Lapu, a Filipino chieftain who defeated Spanish forces led by Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan in 1521. A man, driving an SUV, suddenly plowed through the crowd after 8 pm (9 am IST), crushing many under its wheels and leaving several people wounded.
The driver tried to flee, but was chased down by the revellers and held against a fence until police arrived.
CTV News quoted a witness as saying that a black vehicle arrived at the scene, being driven erratically, before the crowd was struck.
Police ruled out the incident as terrorism.
“At this time, we are confident that this incident was not an act of terrorism,” Vancouver Police said in an X post.
According to other witnesses, the driver appeared to be a young Asian man, and appeared to be mentally challenged.
Social media was flooded with videos and photos of the horrific incident showing bodies lying on the street, as security personnel attended to the injured.
The government of British Columbia recognised April 27 as Lapu Lapu Day in 2023, acknowledging the cultural contributions of the Filipino-Canadian community, one of the largest immigrant groups in the province.
