A vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on the American side of a US-Canada bridge in Niagara Falls Wednesday, prompting the closing of four border crossings in the area, authorities said. The blast happened on the US side of the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the two countries across the Niagara River. Three other bridges between western New York and Ontario were quickly closed as a precaution, and the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport began security checks on all cars and told passengers to expect additional screenings, the AP reports.
No further information was immediately available on the cause of the explosion. The FBI's field office in Buffalo said in a statement that it is investigating the blast. The office described the situation as "fluid." Photos and video taken by bystanders and posted on social media showed thick smoke, flames on the pavement and a security booth that had been singed by flames. Videos showed that the fire was in a US Customs and Border Protection area just east of the main vehicle checkpoint. Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had been briefed on the incident and was "closely monitoring the situation."
The Niagara Gazette, citing law enforcement sources, reports that the car sped onto the bridge plaza on the American side and went through a fence before exploding outside a border inspections plaza. The sources say two people in the vehicle were killed and a border protection agent was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. A witness told WGRZ-TV that he saw the vehicle explode. "All of a sudden he went up in the air and then it was a ball of fire like 30 or 40 feet high," Mike Guenther said. "I never saw anything like it." (This story has been updated with new developments.)
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