Black Eyed Peas singer Apl.de.ap on Sunday said that he and fellow touring member J Rey Soul left the stage minutes before an SUV ploughed through the crowd at a Filipino street festival and killed dozens of people in Vancouver, Canada.
Lindo and singer J-Rey performed the main act at the Lapu Lapu Festival around 8 pm on Saturday, April 26. As they wrapped up their show, a 30-year-old man drove through the crowd in a black SUV as organisers started taking down barricades to clean up.
Officials said the death count was expected to increase, with 11 people killed and many others injured.
The Filipino-American rapper, whose real name is Allan Pineda Lindo, sent his condolences to the victims of the Sunset on Fraser neighbourhood in Vancouver on Sunday.
“Our hearts are broken for the victims, their families, and everyone affected by the tragedy at the Lapu-Lapu Festival,” Lindo said in a statement on Instagram.
“I had just finished performing and left the stage minutes before it happened… It’s hard to describe the shock and the heaviness we feel,” he added.
The singer expressed gratitude to all those who checked in and asked people to “keep the victims, their families, and the organisers in your prayers.”
“They need all the love and strength right now,” he added.
The rapper requested his followers to remember the victims and their families. He also provided a list of victim services and mental health crisis numbers for those impacted.
“The one thing I have noticed – from the audience to the messages sent around, is the sense of community that wraps its loving arms around us. We love you all,” the Black Eyed Peas singer concluded.
Online footage showed the car with the damaged hood parked on a debris-filled street, meters away from first responders caring for patients on the ground.
Dale Selipe, an eyewitness, told the Vancouver Sun that she noticed children were hurt on the street after the car crashed into the crowd.
Philippine Consul General of Vancouver Gina Jamoralin claimed the driver of the vehicle attack was a 30-year-old Vancouver man with a history of mental health issues.