N.L. Filipino community 'devastated' by deadly car-ramming attack at festival in Vancouver

8 hour_ago 6

NL·New

The N.L. Filipino assemblage watched the tragic car-ramming onslaught astatine the Lapu Lapu Day festival successful Vancouver with daze and anger. Now, arsenic they connection their condolences to the victims and their families, they are reconsidering however aboriginal events volition beryllium held.

Community present considering stronger information measures astatine aboriginal events

Abby Cole · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 27, 2025 7:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Members of the Filipino assemblage successful St. John's watched videos connected societal media of the tragic car-ramming onslaught at the Lapu Lapu Day festival successful Vancouver with daze and anger.

"You're conscionable watching, helpless, and you tin consciousness the pain," said Coco Sangcopan, who volunteers with the N.L. Filipino-Canadian Organization Inc.

On Saturday evening, a antheral drove an SUV into a assemblage of festival-goers successful Vancouver, sidesplitting 11 people, constabulary said. Nearly 100,000 radical were successful attendance, arsenic the festival holds value for Filipinos crossed the country.

For radical unpaid Katherine Salvador, the festival successful Vancouver held a idiosyncratic connection. She is from Lapu-Lapu City successful the Philippines, wherever she would besides observe the Filipino leader who fought against Spanish colonization each twelvemonth connected April 26.

"I felt devastated," Salvador said. "It was expected to beryllium a time for celebration, expected to beryllium a time to beryllium unneurotic with the remainder of the community."

Salvador said her husband's aunt had a booth acceptable up astatine the festival successful Vancouver, but luckily she near the festival early.

Sangcopan said she spoke to a assemblage person successful British Columbia to explicit her condolences, and they're successful shock.

"People were looking guardant to this lawsuit due to the fact that again, this is simply a solemnisation of a gathering of the Filipinos each crossed B.C," she said. "Then it turned retired to beryllium tragic."

WATCH | The N.L. Filipino assemblage reacts to deaths astatine the Lapu Lapu festival:

N.L. Filipino assemblage shocked by Vancouver festival tragedy

The Filipino assemblage successful N.L. watched the aftermath of the Lapu Lapu festival onslaught unfold with daze and anger. They’re offering their condolences to the Filipino assemblage crossed the country, who are grieving the nonaccomplishment of 11 radical successful the conveyance attack.

The assemblage successful St. John's had plans to big an Independence Day solemnisation outdoors successful June but is now looking to determination the lawsuit indoors and fortify security, Sangcopan said.

"I conjecture we person to beryllium much cautious arsenic a community," she said.

"We truly don't cognize what volition hap due to the fact that — and particularly with Filipino gatherings — there's kids, there's families," Salvador said.

The Filipino organization will beryllium holding a wide and supplication vigil astatine St. Teresa's Parish successful St. John's on Wednesday.

It's encouraging members of the assemblage to travel accidental a supplication and connection candles to those who mislaid their lives successful Vancouver.

Download our free CBC News app to motion up for propulsion alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to sojourn our landing page.