Two people are dead following a vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls on Wednesday.
The explosion was first reported just after 1 p.m. on the U.S. side of the crossing.
Surveillance footage, released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, shows the vehicle speeding down a road leading up to the border checkpoint. The vehicle then leaves the roadway and appears to go airborne.
At this point few details are known about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
However, during a briefing on Wednesday New York Governor Kathy Hochul told reporters that there is “no evidence at this time” of “terrorist activity.”
Officials closed four border crossings
Officials initially closed the Rainbow Bridge and three other Niagara border crossings following the explosion.
However, Ontario Provincial Police confirmed shortly after 5 p.m. that the Whirlpool Bridge, the Peace Bridge and the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge were reopening to traffic.
Sources tell CTV News that Canadian officials are operating under the assumption that the incident is terror-related.
Latest updates at 5:45 p.m.
- Some Niagara region border crossings are reopening, including the Peace Bridge, Whirlpool Bridge, and the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge. The Rainbow Bridge, however, remains closed until further notice
- The Buffalo Niagara International Airport has resumed operations after flights were initially grounded. It says that additional security checks will be in place.
- Toronto police have said that they will be increasing patrols throughout the city following the incident.
- OPP say there is no known threat to public safety in the province at this time
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed it’s working with the FBI, federal, state and local partners
So far few details have been released about what may have caused the explosion.
One witness, who spoke with NBC’s Buffalo affiliate, said that he saw a car heading toward the border at a high-rate of speed immediately prior to the explosion.
“It was flying. Over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h),” Mike Guenther said. “It hit the fence and flew up into the air, and we’ve just seen the fireball. It was covered with smoke everywhere. It was going towards Canada.”
According to multiple reports, two individuals believed to be in the vehicle have been pronounced dead.
One patient injured in the explosion is also being treated at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center in New York with non-life-threatening injuries, an official with the hospital confirmed.
Certain U.S.-Canada border crossings have been closed in Niagara after an explosion.
Just before 5 p.m., Ontario Provincial Police released a statement in an effort to reassure residents that there is “no known threat to public safety” in the province currently.
“We will continue to work with our policing and public safety partners to actively monitor the situation,” the statement, shared to X, reads. “We recognize that incidents like these can have an emotional impact. The OPP is committed to keeping our communities safe and secure.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had been briefed by Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor and the Minister of Public Safety on the situation, and that additional measures are being ‘contemplated and activated’ at all border crossings across the country.
“We are in contact with the U.S Officials. The Minister of Public Safety, RCMP and CBSA are fully engaged and providing all necessary support,” the prime minister’s statement reads.
Image shows the aftermath of a vehicle explosion on the U.S. side of Rainbow Bridge on Wednesday, November 22, 2023.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also confirmed he had been briefed and that provincial law enforcement is assessing the situation.
In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul said she has directed New York state police, alongside the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, to monitor all entry points into the state.
“I am traveling to Buffalo to meet with law enforcement & emergency responders and will update New Yorkers when more information becomes available,” she wrote.
Officials have also closed the Rainbow, Peace, Whirlpool and Queenston-Lewiston Bridge crossings as well, the OPP confirmed.
OPP says anyone who sees suspicious activity to call them at 1-888-310-1122 or local police.
Debris is scattered about inside the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. (Derek Gee/The Buffalo News via AP)
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