Vancouver police say several people have been killed and multiple others injured after a driver of a black SUV drove into a crowd at a street festival Saturday evening.
The incident happened shortly after 8 p.m. near East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street, where the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party was taking place.
Police say the driver is in custody.
Vancouver Coastal Health told The Canadian Press it had confirmed a “code orange,” indicating a mass casualty event. The health authority was not able to confirm the number of injured or dead as of late Saturday night.
In a post on X, the Vancouver Police Department said more information would be released as the investigation unfolds.
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. <a href=”https://t.co/Iqh5AK5Au3″>pic.twitter.com/Iqh5AK5Au3</a>
—@VancouverPD
Earlier, videos posted on social media showed emergency crews at the scene, with several people lying on the ground — some appearing injured.
CBC News has reached out to Vancouver police for further details.
WATCH | Aftermath captured on video: 
Police say a number of people have been killed and multiple others injured after a driver drove into a crowd at a Filipino street festival at the Lapu Lapu Day block party near East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street.
‘It was like a war zone’
Kris Pangilinan, a Toronto-based journalist, flew to Vancouver to attend the Lapu Lapu Day celebrations. He described the event as a beautiful day filled with wonderful performances — but said the aftermath has left him shaken.
“It’s something you don’t expect to see in your lifetime,” he told CBC’s Steven Quinn.
Pangilinan said the show was wrapping up, and the festival’s main act — Filipino-American rapper Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas — had already finished his set. Crews were in the process of tearing down the stage, tents and vendor stalls when the incident happened.
He said crews lifted a barricade that had been blocking traffic to allow a vehicle to enter. While some cars were being guided carefully through the crowds, Pangilinan said one car suddenly sped up and struck a person.
Police during the aftermath of the Lapu Lapu filipino festival in Vancouver, B.C. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
“Then we realized what was happening and everybody started yelling,” he said. “[The driver] just slammed the pedal down and rammed into hundreds of people. It was like seeing a bowling ball hit — all the bowling pins and all the pins flying up in the air.”
Pangilinan, who has previously worked in news, said witnessing the attack in person was overwhelming.
“As someone who worked in news, you get numb to seeing these things — but seeing it in real life is just shocking,” he said.
Emergency crews respond to the scene. Vancouver police say the driver is in custody. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
“It was like a war zone.… There were bodies all over the ground,” he said, adding he saw “countless” people injured.
Another eyewitness, Joshua Polintan, expressed his anger over what happened.
“I am mad at whoever did that because why would you do that?” he said. “I don’t know if it was a hate crime,… but it was just wrong.”
Mayor, politicians react
The NDP made a campaign stop right before the incident happened.
In a statement posted on X, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he was “horrified to learn of an incident at Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu Day celebrations that injured and killed innocent people.”
He said his thoughts are with the victims, their families and Vancouver’s Filipino community, “who were coming together today to celebrate resilience.”
I am horrified to learn of an incident at Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu Day celebrations that injured and killed innocent people.<br><br>As we wait to learn more, our thoughts are with the victims and their families – and Vancouver’s Filipino community, who were coming together today to…
—@theJagmeetSingh
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said in a statement that he was “shocked and deeply saddened” by what he called a “horrific incident” at the festival.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time,” he said.
B.C. Premier David Eby said in a post to social media platform X that he’s “shocked and heartbroken” to hear about the lives lost and those injured at the festival.
Crowd at the Lapu Lapu Blocke party earlier Saturday. The event was the second annual street celebration of its kind in Vancouver. (Shawn Foss/CBC)
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also took to X stating that he was “shocked” by the “horrific news” emerging from the festival at Vancouver.
“My thoughts are with the Filipino community and all the victims targeted by this senseless attack,” he said.
I am shocked by the horrific news emerging from Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu Day Festival tonight. <br><br>My thoughts are with the Filipino community and all the victims targeted by this senseless attack. Thank you to the first responders who are at the scene as we wait to hear more.
—@PierrePoilievre
“Thank you to the first responders who are at the scene as we wait to hear more,” he said.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney said he is “devastated” and offered his condolences to the “loved ones of those killed and injured.”
I am devastated to hear about the horrific events at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver earlier this evening.<br><br>I offer my deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, to the Filipino Canadian community, and to everyone in Vancouver. We are all mourning with…
—@MarkJCarney
“We are monitoring the situation closely, and thankful to our first responders.”
Lapu Lapu Day is named after an Indigenous resistance fighter in the Philippines who fought against Spanish colonization in the 16th Century.
Saturday’s event was the second annual street celebration of the day in Vancouver, and organizers had said it was an opportunity to mark “the enduring impact on Filipino values, notably the spirit of bayanihan — the collective community effort.”
