Vancouver, Canada: A driver has killed at least nine people after plowing a vehicle through a crowd during a Filipino cultural celebration in Vancouver, Canadian police confirmed on Sunday.

The incident occurred shortly after 8:00 pm (0300 GMT Sunday) in Vancouver’s Sunset on Fraser neighbourhood, where members of the Filipino community had gathered to celebrate Lapu Lapu Day.

The festival, which commemorates the Filipino anti-colonial leader from the 16th century, took place on the weekend before Canada’s election.

“We can confirm that nine people have died after a man drove through a crowd at last night’s Lapu Lapu Festival,” Vancouver police wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Authorities said a 30-year-old local man was arrested and identified as the lone suspect, though they reassured the public that the incident was not believed to be an act of terrorism.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed his shock and sorrow over the event, writing, “I am devastated by these horrific events. 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 you.”

Footage shared online and verified by AFP shows a black SUV with a damaged hood parked on a street littered with debris, with first responders attending to people lying on the ground.

Eyewitness Dale Selipe recounted to the Vancouver Sun that she saw injured children on the street following the vehicle’s impact with the crowd. "There was a lady with her eyes staring up, one of her legs already broken. One person was holding her hand, trying to comfort her," she said.

Photos published by Canadian broadcaster CBC showed emergency crews at the scene as well as large crowds at the block party earlier in the day.

Security guard Jen Idaba-Castaneto, who was working at the festival, told local news site Vancouver Is Awesome, "I saw bodies everywhere. You don’t know who to help, here or there."

The Philippine consulate in Vancouver expressed its deep concern and sympathies to the victims of the incident in a statement posted on Facebook.

British Columbia Premier David Eby said he was "shocked & heartbroken" by the news, while Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said, "Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver's Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time."

The Lapu Lapu Day festival featured a parade, a film screening, dancing, and a concert, with members of the Black Eyed Peas included in the lineup.

Lapu Lapu Day is celebrated in the Philippines to honour the Indigenous chief who led his forces to defeat Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in battle in 1521.

The tragedy took place just ahead of Canada’s federal election on Monday, which has been dominated by discussions on rising living costs and US President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Carney, the Prime Minister candidate, is favoured to win after promising to stand up to Washington’s economic pressures.