Latest news with #AbigailAndiso
The Independent
28-04-2025
- The Independent
Vancouver attack witnesses recall horrific scene as 11 killed in car-ramming
Eyewitnesses have recounted harrowing details of a car-ramming attack in Vancouver that killed at least 11 people, including a five-year-old. A man has been charged with murder over the attack at the Lapu-Lapu day festival. At least 20 other people were injured after a car ploughed into a crowd. Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder, according to the Vancouver Police Department. More charges are expected, officials said. "There's a car that went just through the whole street and just hitting everyone, and I saw one dead, one man on the ground... everyone is panicking, everyone is screaming, and like nobody knows what to do," Abigail Andiso said.
Saudi Gazette
28-04-2025
- Saudi Gazette
Suspect charged after Vancouver car ramming leaves 11 dead
VANCOUVER — A 30-year-old man has been charged with eight counts of second degree murder after a car was driven into a crowd at a street festival in Vancouver, Canada. The attack at a festival that celebrated Filipino culture left 11 dead and dozens more injured. Work to identify some victims was continuing on Sunday evening, and police said the suspect — Kai-Ji Adam Lo, a resident of the city — was likely to be charged with further murders. Investigators said the suspect was known to police prior to the attack but ruled out an extremist motive, instead pointing to his history of mental health problems. Organizers of the annual Lapu Lapu festival said the city's tight-knit Filipino community was "grieving" and that the attack's impact will be felt for years to come. Earlier, police said the ages of the victims ranged from five to 65. Their identities have not been attack took place at around 20:14 local time on Saturday (03:14 GMT) at East 43rd Avenue and Fraser in the south of eyewitnesses to Saturday's attack have described the moment a car plowed into crowds and the chaos that followed."There's a car that went just through the whole street and just hitting everyone," Abigail Andiso, a local resident, told the Associated Press."I saw one dead, one man on the ground, and I went... towards the end where the car went, then there are more casualties, and you can see straight away there are about... maybe 20 people down, and everyone is panicking, everyone is screaming."At the scene on Sunday, people began laying flowers and paying their woman doubled over sobbing before walking off. Another woman, named Donna, said she lived in the neighborhood for more than 50 was at the festival and said it was packed with young people and families."People were here to celebrate and have fun," she told the BBC. "This is tragic."Speaking at a news conference the following day, RJ Aquino, the head of the Filipino BC organisation, said that "last night was extremely difficult and the community will feel this for a long time.""We know that there's a lot of questions floating about and we don't have all the answers, but we want to tell everybody that we're grieving," he said that the attack caused considerable confusion and chaos in the city's tight-knit Filipino community, with many residents calling one another to check on their loved ones."I don't think my phone has buzzed that much in my entire life," he said. "There was a lot of panic and, you know, relief, when somebody answers."At a separate news briefing on Sunday, acting Vancouver police chief Steve Rai said it was the "darkest day" in the city's said "dozens" of people were injured in the attack, some seriously."The number of dead could rise in the coming days or weeks," he told reporters, adding that men, women and young people were among the was taken into custody by police officers after being detained by bystanders at the Rai declined to specify any potential motive, he said that he "can now say with confidence that the evidence in this case does not lead us to believe this was an act of terrorism".The suspect, he added, has "a significant history of interactions with police and healthcare professionals related to mental health".The festival in Vancouver — home to over 140,000 Canadians of Filipino descent — takes place every year to commemorate Lapu-Lapu, a national hero who resisted Spanish colonisation in the of thousands of people were in attendance at the to Rai, police had conducted a threat assessment ahead of the festival, and had partially closed a road on a street behind a school where the bulk of the festivities were taking was nothing to indicate a higher threat level for the event, he street where the attack took place was largely being used by food trucks and there were no barriers in said that the incident would be a "watershed moment" for city officials and first attack came just before Canada's federal election on 28 April, prompting Prime Minister Mark Carney to cancel large gatherings of Liberal Party supporters in Calgary and a televised address to Canadians, Carney said he was "heartbroken" and "devastated" by the visited the scene of the attack on Sunday evening, where he lit a candle and stood in silence with dozens of members of the local also met family members of the victims and laid flowers during a church service main opposition candidate, Pierre Polievre, continued campaigning, but made an unscheduled stop at a church in Mississauga — a suburb of Toronto — to meet with members of the Filipino alongside his wife Anaida Poilievre, the Conservative leader expressed his condolences. "I wanted to be here with you in solidarity," he told the church the leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party David Eby, said he was "shocked and heartbroken".One Canadian political leader, the New Democrats' Jagmeet Singh, was among those who attended the Lapu Lapu festival on Saturday, and subsequently changed his planned events on said it was "heart-breaking" to see that "such joy can be torn apart so violently."I saw families gathered together, I saw children dancing, I saw pride in culture, in history and community," he added. — BBC
Calgary Herald
27-04-2025
- Calgary Herald
'Bodies everywhere': At least 11 killed, many injured after vehicle driven into crowd in Vancouver
Article content Content warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of violence and injury. Those who have experienced trauma can contact VictimLinkBC by phone or text at 1-800-563-0808 or by email at 211-VictimLinkBC@ for immediate crisis support and resources. VictimLinkBC is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Article content Article content A joyous celebration of Filipino culture ended in death and devastation Saturday after a speeding SUV plowed into a crowd at Lapu Lapu Day in Vancouver, killing at least 11 people and injuring many more. Article content Article content The event was coming to a close around 8:14 p.m., with people lingering after a concert, when a vehicle suddenly drove into a pedestrian-only area along 43rd Avenue near Fraser Street, speeding past food trucks and striking a number of festival participants. Article content Article content Vancouver police confirmed that a 30-year-old Vancouver man was arrested at the scene and remains in custody. While an investigation is still underway, police have said they 'are confident that this was not an act of terrorism.' Article content Abigail Andiso was with friends nearby when she heard two loud bangs, then screaming and yelling. They ran toward East 43rd Avenue, which was lined with food trucks and stalls, and saw a scene of carnage. Article content 'There were bodies on the street. They were run over. Some were already dead on the spot,' said Andiso, who called 911. Article content Article content Article content Dale Selipe, who was with Andiso, saw a toddler injured and another child with an open scalp wound. Many of the bodies were twisted grotesquely. Article content Article content 'There was a lady with her eyes staring up, one of her legs was already broken. One person was holding her hand trying to comfort her,' she recounted. Article content Late Saturday, police confirmed at a news conference that a 30-year-old Vancouver man who was known to police 'in certain circumstances' had been arrested, after bystanders at the festival held him until officers arrived. Article content Health officials confirmed overnight that at least 26 individuals were taken to hospital with injuries. As of Sunday morning, the status of those 26 patients was unknown.
National Post
27-04-2025
- National Post
'Bodies everywhere': Multiple people killed, injured at Lapu Lapu Day in Vancouver
Article content Content warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of violence and injury. Those who have experienced trauma can contact VictimLinkBC by phone or text at 1-800-563-0808 or by email at 211-VictimLinkBC@ for immediate crisis support and resources. VictimLinkBC is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Article content A joyous celebration of Filipino culture ended in death and devastation Saturday, after a speeding SUV plowed into a crowd at Lapu Lapu Day in Vancouver, killing multiple people and injuring many more. Article content Article content The event was coming to a close, with many lingering after a concert, when a vehicle suddenly drove into a pedestrian-only area along 43rd Avenue near Fraser Street, revving past food trucks and striking a number of festival goers. Article content Abigail Andiso was with friends nearby when she heard two loud bangs, then screaming and yelling. They ran toward East 43rd Avenue, which was lined with food trucks and stalls and saw a scene of carnage. Article content 'There were bodies on the street. They were run over. Some were already dead on the spot,' said Andiso, who called 911. Article content Article content Dale Selipe, who was with Andiso, saw a toddler injured and another child with an open scalp wound. Many of the bodies were twisted grotesquely. Article content 'There was a lady with her eyes staring up, one of her legs was already broken. One person was holding her hand trying to comfort her,' she recounted. Article content Article content Late Saturday night, Vancouver police confirmed at a news conference that a 30-year-old Vancouver man who was known to police 'in certain circumstances' had been arrested, after bystanders at the festival held him until police arrived. Article content Article content The driver of the SUV was taken into custody and was telling bystanders he was 'sorry.' Sources say he appears to have been suffering from mental-health issues. Article content Article content Videos posted to social media show the immediate aftermath, with bodies strewn across the road, being tended to by first responders and bystanders. Victims were being rushed to several local hospitals, where staff have been told to prepare for mass casualties.
Irish Daily Star
27-04-2025
- Irish Daily Star
Vancouver attack witnesses describe how SUV plowed into crowds leaving "broken bodies" lying across street
Traumatised witnesses have spoken of the horror they saw when a black SUV was driven at high speed into a crowd of people celebrating a Filipino festival in Vancouver. Nine people have confirmed to have died but more victims remain in hospital. The incident unfolded at 8:14 p.m. local time on Saturday where people were attending the Lapu Lapu Day festival, the Vancouver Police Department confirmed in a social media post. Witnesses describe a black SUV driving erratically before speeding up into the crowds of people who had gathered for the street festival. Abigail Andiso, who was enjoying an evening with friends nearby, said she heard two loud bangs before screams and yelling rang out. Read More Related Articles Vancouver attack leaves twisted remains of SUV that plowed through crowds as police reveal suspect was 'known' to them Read More Related Articles Horror as SUV plows into crowd at Filipino festival in Vancouver killing 8 including child The visible damage to the SUV illustrates the brutality of the attack (Image: X/@KirkLubimov) On arriving at the scene she saw utter devastation. "'There were bodies on the street. They were run over. Some were already dead on the spot,' she told the Vancouver Sun. Andiso rang 911 for help. Her friend Dale Selipe, who was also present, saw severely injured toddlers and children and added: 'There was a lady with her eyes staring up, one of her legs was already broken. One person was holding her hand trying to comfort her." Bodies lay at the scene, but the number of victims is still unknown (Image: AP) In a press conference, police confirmed a 30-year-old local man had been taken into custody as a suspect after being detained by angry bystanders. They also added that he was "known to police in certain circumstances". Policeannounced on X that they were "confident" the incident "was not an act of terrorism." Foodtruck vendor Yoseb Vardeh, who was serving bao buns to revellers when the horror struck, has also spoken about the horrific scenes. The celebrations before the attack (Image: AP) Talking about the grief of people witnessing their loved ones killed and injured in front of them he said : "I saw so many people, and they just couldn't believe what was happening. "It was their wife, it was their mom, it was their kid.' Speaking to the BBC world service he also added that the vehicle appeared to be going at approximately 100kmph (62mph). "I think he was going for maximum damage," adding that some of his customers were among those killed in the attack. Prime Minister Mark Carney and other Canadian political figures posted messages expressing shock at the violence, condolences for victims and support for the community celebrating its heritage at the festival. '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,' Carney wrote. '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,' wrote Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party, who was at the festival earlier in the day. The incident occurred as Canadians are set to go to the polls in the Federal elections on Monday.
