Ottawa:
Several deaths are being reported from the Canadian city of Vancouver after a driver ran over a crowd at a street festival. The local police said the incident occurred around 8 pm (local time). The incident happened as members of the Filipino community gathered in large numbers to celebrate Lapu Lapu Day in the city’s Sunset on Fraser neighbourhood. The driver has been taken into custody, police said.
“A number of people have been killed and multiple others are injured after a driver drove into a crowd at a street festival at E. 41st Avenue and Fraser shortly after 8 p.m. tonight. The driver is in custody. We will provide more information as the investigation unfolds,” said Vancouver Police.
Police have so far not confirmed if it was a car attack or an accident.
Eyewitnesses told local media outlets that a black SUV ploughed through the festival at speed, hitting multiple people as it drove through the crowds. They said the driver of the car appeared to be a young asian man, and appeared to be mentally challenged.
Several videos of the horrific incident have surfaced on social media, showing bodies lying on the street after the car attack, as emergency crews raced to attend to those still alive.
Initial reports of several killed and over a dozen injured, after an SUV plowed into a closed-off street filled with people celebrating the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver, Canada. pic.twitter.com/cLQQPfOMCq
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 27, 2025
Vancouver’s Mayor Ken Sim said, “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event.”
“Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time,” he added.
New Democratic MP Don Davies also tweeted about the ‘horrendous attack’, saying he was ‘praying for all the victims and their families’.
“Just heard the tragic news of the horrendous attack at the Lapu Lapu festival. I am praying for all the victims and their families,” he said.
About Lapu Lapu Festival
The festival commemorates a Filipino anti-colonial leader, Datu Lapu-Lapu, from the 16th century. Lapu-Lapu was the Philippines’ first national hero, who led the victory against Spanish colonisers in the 1521 Battle of Mactan.
