(UPDATE) VANCOUVER — Canadian police arrested a man on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) after a car plowed into a street party in the western city of Vancouver, killing a number of people.

Authorities said the incident happened shortly after 8 p.m. (0300 GMT Sunday) in Vancouver's Sunset on Fraser neighborhood as members of the Filipino community gathered to celebrate Lapu Lapu Day.

The festival, which commemorates a Filipino anti-colonial leader from the 16th century, falls this year on the weekend before Canada's election.

A 30-year-old local man was arrested at the scene, Vancouver police posted on X.

The driver was a "lone suspect" known to police, a police spokesman told journalists at the scene.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was "devastated" by the "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," he wrote on X.

"We are all mourning with you."

According to police, "a number of people have been killed and multiple others are injured" in the tragedy.

Footage posted online and verified by Agence France-Presse shows a black SUV with a damaged hood parked on a street littered with debris, meters from first aiders tending to people lying on the ground.

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

Festival security guard Jen Idaba-Castaneto told local news site Vancouver Is Awesome that she saw "bodies everywhere."

"You don't know who to help, here or there," she said.

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

Saturday's event featured a parade, a film screening, dancing and a concert, with two members of the Black Eyed Peas featured on the lineup published by the organizers.

The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver, Canada, expressed hope that the Filipino community would remain strong and resilient following the "horrific incident."

"As we await more information about the incident, we pray that our community remains strong and resilient imbued with the spirit of bayanihan (communal spirit) during this difficult time," the consulate said.

The Canucks Sports and Entertainment (CSE) based in Vancouver, in a statement, said, "We are heartbroken by the tragic events that occurred tonight at the Lapu Lapu Day celebration."

"Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and everyone impacted, including Vancouver's Filipino community. We extend our deepest condolences and support during this unimaginably difficult time," the CSE said.

Lapu Lapu Day is celebrated in the Philippines in remembrance of Indigenous chief Lapu Lapu, who led his men to defeat Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in battle in 1521.

Canadians go to the polls Monday after a frenetic election race where candidates have wooed voters on issues including rising living costs and tackling US President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Carney is favored to win after assuring voters he can stand up to Washington's barrage of sweeping tariffs.

WITH BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO