A vehicle exploded Wednesday, November 22 at the Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge border crossing between the United States and Canada. This was confirmed by two American law enforcement officials with knowledge of the matter. The two people in the car died and a Border Patrol officer was injured.
The cause of the explosion, exact location and direction the car was traveling, were not immediately known. Video from an eyewitness at the scene shows an inspection booth at the bridge with smoke billowing out of the top and debris scattered about.
All four bridges between Canada and the United States in the Niagara area were closed, including the Rainbow Bridge, Peace Bridge, Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and Whirlpool Bridge, according to Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s public safety minister.
“This is a rapidly changing situation,” LeBlanc said at a press conference. “All measures are being taken to ensure that people will be safe.”
The vehicle was traveling at high speed. It careened about 10 feet into the air, according to one of the American law enforcement officers. No explosive devices were immediately found in the wreckage, the official said. The F.B.I.’s Buffalo field office said in a social media post on X (formerly Twitter) that the agency was coordinating with local, state and federal law enforcement. Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York said the New York State Police were working with the F.B.I. to monitor all points of entry to the state.
Airports and railway facilities in the area have increased security. There are also additional explosive detective dogs and police patrols, and additional screening is being deployed at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, according to a spokesman with New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s office.
The FBI is investigating.