Jagmeet Singh ‘horrified’ after Lapu Lapu car-ramming incident days before Canada election
Jagmeet Singh, who greeted Lapu Lapu festival-goers on Saturday, said that he was ‘horrified’ to learn about the car-ramming incident
National Democratic Party candidate Jagmeet Singh, who greeted Lapu Lapu festival-goers on Saturday, said that he was ‘horrified’ to learn about the car-ramming incident at the Vancouver event. The accident took place two days before Canada goes to the polls.
Several people were killed after a driver plowed into a crowd at the street festival. "A number of people have been killed and multiple others are injured," Vancouver Police posted on X, platform formerly known as Twitter. "The driver is in custody."
“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 Vancouver Police Department said in a statement.
Read More: Vancouver Lapu Lapu Festival: Videos show chaos after driver plows SUV into crowd
Jagmeet Singh was at the event only hours ago.
“I am horrified to learn of an incident at Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu Day celebrations that injured and killed innocent people. 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 celebrate resilience,” he said.
His NDP colleague and MP Don Davies tweeted about the ‘horrendous attack’, adding that he is ‘praying for all the victims and their families’.
Posts on X showed multiple cars, fire trucks and ambulances at the scene. "So many police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances came through. scary stuff," one person tweeted.
The Lapu Lapu festival is one of the biggest celebrations of Filipinos in Canada.
“Lapu Lapu is our first Indigenous hero in the Philippines who won the Battle of Mactan against [Portuguese explorer Ferdinand] Magellan, pushing Spanish colonization,” event director Joe Tuliao said, according to City News Everywhere.
“So we take this day very seriously to celebrate our culture, but most importantly, our resilience and perseverance.”
No information on the suspect has been released yet.
