Driver Plows Into Crowd at Vancouver Festival, Leaving Multiple Dead and Injured
Several people were killed and others injured Saturday night after a driver crashed into a crowd gathered for a street festival in Vancouver, Canada, according to police.
The incident occurred shortly after 8:14 p.m. local time at the intersection of East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street. The Vancouver Police Department confirmed on X that the driver was taken into custody at the scene.
Authorities have not yet disclosed the number of casualties or a possible motive, but said the suspect is a 30-year-old man from Vancouver.
The crash took place near the location of the Lapu-Lapu Day block party, an event celebrating Filipino culture.
Yoseb Vardeh, co-owner of a food truck operating at the festival, described the terrifying moment to the Vancouver Sun. He said he heard a vehicle engine revving before a speeding truck barreled down a pedestrian-only area lined with food trucks and people.
“I got outside my food truck, I looked down the road and there’s just bodies everywhere,” Vardeh recounted.
He noted that police responded swiftly, securing the scene and apprehending the driver. “This is something that happens in the States, not here,” he added.
Deana Lancaster, spokesperson for Vancouver General Hospital—one of the region’s main trauma centers—said they were receiving multiple patients from what she understood to be the Lapu-Lapu Day celebration.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim expressed his sorrow in a statement, calling the incident “horrific.”
“I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event,” Sim said, promising more information would be shared as soon as possible. “Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time.”
British Columbia Premier David Eby said his office was in contact with local authorities and ready to assist as needed.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also offered his condolences on X, saying, “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.”
Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, said he was “horrified” by the news.
“As we wait to learn more, our thoughts are with the victims and their families — and Vancouver’s Filipino community, who were coming together today to celebrate resilience,” Singh said.
April 27 was officially recognized in 2023 by the province of British Columbia as Lapu Lapu Day, in commemoration of the Battle of Mactan in the Philippines on April 27, 1521. The day honors Lapu Lapu, an indigenous leader celebrated for defeating the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who had landed in Mactan during a Spanish expedition.
The Philippines later came under Spanish rule for nearly four centuries, and Lapu Lapu is revered as a national hero and enduring symbol of resistance to colonialism among Filipinos and the global diaspora.
Canada is home to nearly one million people of Filipino descent, according to the 2021 Census.
