A pickup truck plowed through a crowd leaving a pre-wedding celebration in western Canada, killing six people and injuring 19, police said Saturday.
The 71-year-old driver of a truck lost control and ran into 25 to 30 people who were walking along a rural road toward him, police in Abbotsford, British Columbia, said.
The victims had been at the bride’s parents’ house and were heading to another home, making their way along an unlit road lined with parked cars, according to police and a neighbor.
Jagdish Gill, whose daughter is a friend of the bride, said the group was taking part in a traditional Indian procession.
“They had drums in the front,” Gill said. “They were going to have a van in the front, a blinking van, but it got there a little late.”
Neither the bride nor the groom was injured, she said, and the wedding will go ahead on Sunday as scheduled, though on a smaller scale.
Ivar Lee, who lives down the road from the house hosting the party, said he was sitting in his backyard when he heard sirens replace the music.
“All of a sudden the music stopped and we heard sirens coming and then we heard more sirens and more sirens and then a helicopter showed up and then a second helicopter showed up,” he said.
Three of those who died were men and three were women. Their names have not been released, but police said they ranged in age from their teens to their 50s. One of the injured is 4 months old.
The driver, who is in shock, was questioned and released, Vinet said. He said neither alcohol nor drugs were factors. The truck was taken for a mechanical inspection.
