Man arrested and nine dead after car ploughs into crowd at a Vancouver street festival. Here’s what we know
Nine people are dead after a car ploughed into a crowded street festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Saturday evening.
An unknown number of people were also injured in the mass casualty incident at an event organized by the local Filipino community.
While Canadian authorities say they are “confident” that it was “not an act of terrorism,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said they are “monitoring the situation closely.”
What happened?
According to Vancouver Police, at approximately 8 p.m. on Saturday evening local time, a car was driven into the crowd celebrating the annual Lapu Lapu festival, a Filipino community event celebrating Lapu Lapu Day.
At least nine people were killed and “multiple others” were injured as the driver struck pedestrians.
The incident occurred at E 41st Avenue and Fraser Street after the final live performance of the day on the grounds of a local high school by Apl.de.ap, a Filipino American rapper and a founding member of the Black Eyed Peas.
An eyewitness, Yoseb Vardeh, who is a co-owner of the Bao Buns food truck, told BBC World Service that the driver appeared to be going for “maximum damage” as he went “completely straight, right through the crowd” at about 100kph (62mph).
He said the car struck several of his customers, adding that the driver tried to flee but was caught by people nearby.
“I just saw bodies underneath people’s food trucks, and husbands crying out for their wife, or their kids. It was just horrible,” he said.
Some unverified videos and photos show injured people lying on the street amid chaos and a heavy police presence. A black SUV with a crumpled front section could be seen in one of the still photos.
Who was the driver?
Police have taken a 30-year-old male suspect into custody. Only one vehicle and one suspect were involved. He was initially detained by people at the scene.
The police did not clarify whether the suspect had a criminal record.
