Victims of the deadly Vancouver Filipino street festival remembered

Kira Salim

A New Westminster teacher has been identified by an employer as one of the 11 deceased victims of Saturday’s attack at a Filipino street festival in Vancouver.

“It is with profound sadness that we share news that Kira Salim, teacher-counsellor at Fraser River Middle School and New Westminster Secondary School, was among those who lost their lives in the April 26 Lapu Lapu Day tragedy,” said a letter to parents from New Westminster Schools.

“Kira was a valued member of our community whose wisdom and care for our middle and secondary school students had a powerful impact. Their work, and the great spirit they brought to it, changed lives. The loss of our friend and colleague has left us all shocked and heartbroken.”

The school district is offering support to staff, students, and families, with counsellors on hand for anyone who may be struggling to cope with the loss.

“We are a small but mighty community. This is one of the qualities of New Westminster that Kira loved the most. Let us honour them by turning to each other and, through our grief, using the strength and resilience of our community to heal,” said the letter, signed by board chair Maya Russell and superintendent Mark Davidson.

The deceased victims of Saturday’s attack range in age from five to 65.

Most victims have yet to be officially identified, but various online fundraising campaigns have been set up to assist families.

—With files from Mike Lloyd

Linh Hoang, Richard Le, and Katie Le

A father, mother, and five-year-old daughter have been confirmed by a family member as three of the victims killed.

Toan Le says his brother Richard Le, his sister-in-law Linh Hoang, and his five-year-old niece Katie Le were killed while attending the festival.

Le says the family leaves behind their 16-year-old son, Andy, who didn’t go to the event on Saturday.

“They live only a couple blocks away from the festival,” he told 1130 NewsRadio Monday. “They wanted to enjoy the event and get together with the community, and have some good food. They went there just to be part of the community, and tragedy just strikes.”

Le describes his brother as a very dedicated badminton and tennis coach, and a real estate professional. “He spent most of his time either training and teaching his students and mentoring them, or he’s with his family and helping his clients.”

Linh was a loving wife, and her and Richard’s relationship was “one of those … which you kind of admire,” Le said.

Katie was “just a bundle of joy. She just finished preschool and was in kindergarten and getting ready for her future. She’s just one of those individuals that brings joy to the entire family,” he added.

Le says Andy is still processing the tragedy, and taking it all “day-by-day.” Now living with his grandparents, Le says he’s not sure if Andy has fully absorbed the reality of the loss. “I think like all of us, it just comes in waves.”

The Le family are just one of many who have been impacted by this tragedy, he said.

“There are many families that are still facing uncertainty, because the incident is very dramatic, but for us, at least we have closure, right? A lot of families are still uncertain about their loved ones or if they’re going to make it. I know that lots of individuals and family members are still in the ICU, fighting for their lives. So I just want the public to know that there are still many, many families that have been affected, and I hope we as a community come together to support those families too,” Le continued.

—With files from Srushti Gangdev.

Rizza Pagkanlungan

On a GoFundMe page, a relative identified Rizza Pagkanlungan as one of the victims killed.

The fundraiser explains that she was a Filipina immigrant to Winnipeg and later Vancouver.

The family says it is raising funds to have Rizza’s body returned to the Philippines to “lay her to rest with the family who raised her and loved her deeply.”

She reportedly leaves behind a husband, brother, and other family members in Canada.

“To know Rizza was to truly love her. She was the sweetest soul, kind-hearted, humble, and hardworking person.”

32 hospitalized among victims of attack

1130 NewsRadio has learned that 32 people who were injured in the attack were transported to six different hospitals around the Lower Mainland.

Initially, the attack’s reported death toll was eight. The number was raised to 11 when three people died in hospital or were declared dead on arrival.

BC Children’s Hospital, in Vancouver, still has multiple patients; among the youngest is a two-year-old.

As of Monday morning, 17 patients remain in hospital. Descriptions of their injuries range from non-life-threatening to serious to critical.

12 people were discharged from hospitals over the weekend.

—With files from Sonia Aslam

How to support

In response to the incident, popular fundraising site GoFundMe says it has activated a crisis response team.

GoFundMe says its global team of trust and safety specialists is continually vetting and verifying all fundraisers for those affected and collecting the pages on a centralized hub.

Resources for those experiencing trauma or who require support

A 24-hour assistance centre has been set up at the Douglas Park Community Centre at 801 West 22nd Avenue.

VPD Victim Liaison Officer: 604-717-3321.

Victim Services — available 24/7 by calling or texting 1-800-563-0808 or email [email protected].

310 Mental Health Line: 310-6789

Crisis Line: 1-800-784-2433

A Google Doc has been created by a group of local members of the Filipino community, listing emergency response resources. The members are not associated with any organizations. That Google Doc can be accessed here.

A Filipino Emergency Response website has been set up. This includes forms for support requests and a list of community spaces and gatherings. It also lists more resources. That can be accessed here.