11 die as car plows through Canada street festival

At least 11 people were killed and dozens injured when a man with a history of mental health issues rammed an SUV through a crowd at a Filipino community festival in the western Canadian city of Vancouver, police said on Sunday.

Police arrested a 30-year-old Vancouver man at the scene of the incident on Saturday evening, describing him as having had a "significant history" of interactions with authorities involving mental health. They said there was no evidence of terrorism.

"This is the darkest day in our city's history," Vancouver Interim Chief Constable Steve Rai told reporters at a Sunday press conference. He said dozens of people were injured, some seriously, and warned that the death toll could rise in coming days and weeks.

More than 100 police officers joined the investigation, as local officials worked with provincial and federal authorities to provide support services. "The community will feel this for a long time," RJ Aquino, chair of the community advocacy group Filipino BC, told reporters.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's election campaign movements were delayed on Sunday morning but he resumed campaigning after making a statement in which he expressed his condolences to the country's Filipino community.

"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," he told reporters in Hamilton, Ontario. "I join all Canadians in mourning with you. I know that Canadians are united with you," he said.

More than 12 hours after the incident, police still did not have a motive for the attack at the festival, which took place without a dedicated police presence or heavy vehicle barriers. "There were no known threats to the event or to the Filipino community," Rai said.

The incident happened shortly after 8 pm in Vancouver's Sunset neighbourhood, 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. The suspect was initially chased down and held by festival-goers until police arrived, witnesses said.

A photo of the aftermath posted online showed a dark Audi SUV with both front fenders crumpled and the bonnet pushed up toward the vehicle's windshield. Online images from the scene showed the bodies of victims on the pavement alongside a row of colourful food trucks.

The festival, celebrated especially in the central Philippines, honours 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 recognised April 27 as Lapu-Lapu Day in 2023.

Canada's Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said in a tweet "I am shocked by the horrific news emerging from Vancouver's Lapu Lapu Day Festival tonight." Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos said in a statement he was "completely shattered to hear about the terrible incident."

The tragedy struck as the Canadians prepared to go to the polls on Monday (today) after an election race where candidates have wooed voters on issues including rising living costs and tackling US President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian products and his threat to annex his northern neighbour.

The ramming shocked the country a day before a general election dominated by US President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian products and his threat to annex his northern neighbour, long a key ally and trading partner.