
Kamloops Filipino community holding vigil for victims of Vancouver Lapu Lapu festival tragedy
KAMLOOPS — A vigil will be held in Kamloops Tuesday evening (May 6) in honour of the lives lost during the Lapu Lapu street festival in Vancouver last month. On April 26, a driver of an SUV rammed into the crowd gathered for the annual festival, killing 11 people and injuring dozens more.
Kamloops vigil organizer Analyn Ballano says the local event is meant to recognize the victims of the tragedy and provide a space for grieving community members to gather.
“For me, I was very heartbroken. And there’s a lot of Filipinos who also felt that way because if we have a community of Filipinos that are hurt, all of us are hurt. It doesn’t matter where we are, especially in Vancouver, and there are a lot of us in Kamloops who are also hurt from that event,” she explains.