In Canada, nine people were killed and several were injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Filipino Festival in Vancouver, the local police confirmed today. As per the Vancouver Police Department, a 30-year-old local man who drove a black SUV into the street festival yesterday evening is now in custody. The Police Department confirmed that the incident was not an act of terrorism.
Witnesses reported that the victims were hit while walking or waiting at food trucks lined up along the road. Harrowing videos from the scene surfaced on social media, showing multiple victims lying on the ground, some of whom appeared dead or seriously injured.
The incident occurred during the annual event honouring Lapu-Lapu, the Philippines’ first national hero. Lapu-Lapu was the chief of Mactan Island, whose resistance against Spanish colonisation is considered a pivotal moment in early Philippine history and is commemorated annually on 27th April, Lapu-Lapu Day.
