Nine people were killed after a car was driven into a crowd at a street festival in the Canadian city of Vancouver, police have said.
“A number of people have been killed and multiple others are injured,” Vancouver Police posted on X. “The driver is in custody.”
The incident happened as members of the Filipino community gathered to celebrate Lapu Lapu Day, Vancouver mayor Ken Sim posted on X.
The festival commemorates a Filipino anti-colonial leader from the 16th century.
Police said the incident happened shortly after 8pm Saturday (2am Sunday Irish time) in the city’s Sunset on Fraser neighbourhood.
Police have since said that they are “confident that this incident was not an act of terrorism”.
Vancouver Police Interim Chief Steve Rai has said that the families involved in this “tragic incident” will be fully supported.
At a news conference, he said that a lone male, aged 30, drove through a Filipino community event at around 8pm local time. He was taken into custody afterwards by police. Mr Rai said that the suspect was known to police “in certain circumstances” but would not elaborate.
“There is no further danger to the public”, he added.
Mr Rai would not give any fgure for the number injured in the incident as the situation “is still unfolding”.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed his condolences on X saying; “I am devastated to hear about the horrific events at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver earlier this evening. We are all mourning with you.”
British Columbia Premier David Eby said he was “shocked & heartbroken” by the news in a post on X.
