A tragic scene unfolded in Vancouver on Saturday evening when a vehicle crashed into a crowd gathered for a Filipino street festival, killing at least nice people while multiple others are injured, local police said.

The incident took place shortly after 8 p.m. local time (0300 GMT) near East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street, the site of the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party, a celebration of Filipino culture that had drawn thousands of attendees.

Authorities confirmed that the driver, a 30-year-old man behind the wheel of an SUV, was arrested. Police have not yet disclosed the suspect’s identity however, authorities said the suspect was “known to police in certain circumstances.” Police also said they were “confident” the incident was not an act of terrorism.

An ambulance is parked at the site of the Lapu Lapu day block party, where a vehicle drove into a crowd killing several people in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada April 26, 2025. REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier

Eyewitnesses described moments of panic and confusion. One individual told CTV News he saw a black SUV behaving erratically in the area moments before it struck the crowd.

Among those present at the event was Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, who had left shortly before the incident occurred. Speaking to reporters, Singh said, “This is so horrific, I don’t even know what to say. I was just there, and I just imagine the faces of the kids that I saw smiling and dancing.”

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh dances at the Lapu Lapu day block party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada April 26, 2025. REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier

Leaders across Canada reacted with shock. Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed his grief in a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying he was “devastated” by the events. Vancouver’s Mayor Ken Sim and British Columbia Premier David Eby issued similar messages of condolences.

Eyewitnesses described moments of panic and confusion. “I didn’t get to see the driver, all I heard was an engine rev,” Yoseb Vardeh, co-owner of food truck Bao Buns, said in an interview with Postmedia.

“I got outside my food truck, I looked down the road and there’s just bodies everywhere,” said Vardeh, as his voice broke. “He went through the whole block, he went straight down the middle.”

The Vancouver Sun reported that several thousand people were gathered in the area at the time of the crash.

The deadly incident comes just two days ahead of Canada’s federal election, casting a shadow over the final stages of the campaign.

An investigation into the attack is ongoing, with authorities working to determine the full circumstances surrounding the tragedy.