By Harshita Meenaktshi and Chris Helgren
VANCOUVER (Reuters) -At least nine people were killed and more than 20 injured when a man rammed an SUV through a crowd at a Filipino community festival in the western Canadian city of Vancouver on the weekend before Canada’s federal election, authorities said.
Police arrested a 30-year-old Vancouver man, who they said was known to them, at the scene of the incident on Saturday evening.
"At this time, we are confident that this incident was not an act of terrorism," Vancouver police said in an X post.
Speaking on Sunday morning, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that more than 20 people were injured in what police described as a "car ramming attack." He said an investigation had begun into how and why the attack took place, adding that authorities believe the man acted alone.
"Last night, families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a son or a daughter. Those families are living every family’s nightmare," Carney told reporters in Hamilton, Ontario, where he also expressed his condolences to the country’s Filipino community.
"I join all Canadians in mourning with you. I know that Canadians are united with you," he said.
The suspect was initially chased down and held by festival-goers until police arrived, witnesses said. The injured were taken to multiple hospitals, police said.
The incident happened shortly after 8 p.m. (0300 GMT) in Vancouver’s Sunset neighborhood, an area known for its large Asian population, where the Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party, celebrating a Philippine national hero, was taking place.
One witness told CTV News he saw a black vehicle driving erratically in the area of the festival just before the crowd was struck. Photos from the scene showed a black Audi SUV with the driver-side door open.
Canada’s federal election takes place on Monday. Carney’s campaign movements were delayed on Sunday morning after the tragedy, but a government official said the prime minister would head to Saskatoon later on Sunday to resume campaigning.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said he was "shattered to hear about the terrible incident" and extended his "deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and to the strong and thriving Filipino community in Canada."
"The lives lost will not be forgotten," he said in a statement.
While mass casualty attacks are far less common in Canada than in the United States, such incidents have occurred with some regularity north of the border.
At least two of those attacks involved motor vehicles. In 2021, a man killed four members of a Muslim family by running them over with a pickup truck. In 2018, a man drove a rented van into a lunch-hour crowd in Toronto, killing 10 people and injuring 15 along a sidewalk thronged with pedestrians.
’HORRIFIC’
Filipino BC, a provincial community advocacy group, said in a post on X that people should refrain from viewing and sharing videos of the attacks circulating online, some of which are graphic.
Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, was among the attendees at the event, but left minutes before the vehicle arrived, he told reporters.
"We don’t know the motives, we don’t know any of the details, but ultimately this is something that targeted the Filipino community," he said.
"I was there, and I just imagined the faces of the kids I saw smiling and dancing. It’s horrific," he said.
Another witness, who did not wish to be identified, said he had seen about 15 people lying on the ground after the SUV plunged into the crowd. The witness said the driver had tried to run but was chased down and held against a fence for about 10 minutes until police arrived.
The festival, celebrated especially in the central Philippines, honors Datu Lapu-Lapu, a Filipino chieftain who defeated Spanish forces led by Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan in 1521.
The government of British Columbia officially recognized 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.
King Charles, Canada’s head of state, said in a statement: "Both my wife and I were profoundly saddened to learn of the dreadful attack and utterly tragic loss of life in Vancouver, which took place as the Filipino community came together to mark the celebration of one of their most special festivals."
The centerpiece of the festival in Vancouver is a multi-block street party featuring Filipino food and traditions, live performances and cultural displays.
"I didn’t get to see the driver, all I heard was an engine rev," Yoseb Vardeh, co-owner of food truck Bao Buns, said in an interview with Postmedia.
"I got outside my food truck, I looked down the road and there’s just bodies everywhere," said Vardeh, his voice breaking with emotion. "He went through the whole block, he went straight down the middle."