In Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States, a car struck participants at a Lao New Year parade, with an estimated 15 people injured, according to initial reports. The Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office stated on Saturday that some attendees were seriously injured, highlighting the severity of the incident.

Rebecca Melancon, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office, indicated that based on the preliminary investigation, this does not appear to be an intentional act. Acadian Ambulance company confirmed via social media that it transported 11 people to the hospital using ground vehicles and airlifted two others for urgent care, with ten ambulances and two medical helicopters deployed to the scene.

The crash occurred in New Iberia, a city of over 28,000 in Iberia Parish, located about 34km south of Lafayette, Louisiana. The Louisiana Lao New Year Festival parade is an annual tradition held on Easter weekend in the parish, featuring live music, food vendors, and a beauty pageant.

Festival organizers issued a statement on social media, expressing profound sadness and noting that all security resources had been surged to the scene. They cancelled Saturday's musical events but allowed vendors to remain open until 9pm local time, adding that if security resources are restored, only religious services and vendors will reopen on Sunday.

The Lao New Year is a Buddhist tradition typically celebrated in April, marking the transition from dry heat to the wet monsoon season in Laos. Louisiana hosts a small but vibrant Lao community; in New Iberia, Lanexang Village is home to hundreds of Lao people, many of whom arrived as refugees following the Vietnam War, which involved clashes between communist and US-backed forces in Laos.

Source: www.aljazeera.com