A vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on the American side of a US-Canada bridge in Niagara Falls on Wednesday, November 22, resulting in two people dying and necessitating the closing of four border crossings in the area, authorities said.
No preliminary information was available on the cause of the explosion, but it provoked concern on both sides of the border.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said officials were “taking this extraordinarily seriously”, and the White House said President Joe Biden was “closely following the developments”.
The two deceased persons were in the vehicle, an official told AP. Officials were not authorised to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“This is obviously a very serious situation in Niagara Falls,” Justin Trudeau said in Parliament before excusing himself from Question Period in the House of Commons to be briefed further.
A video shared by US-based, BNO News on social media platform ‘X’ showed acar crashing into the checkpoint at the US-Canada border in Niagara Falls, killing 2 people inside the car.
Along with other agencies, the FBI’s Buffalo field office was investigating the blast. Albany is the state capital of New York, and Kathy Hochul was travelling to Buffalo from there.
Across the Niagara River, the Rainbow Bridge connects the two countries, and the blast took place on the US side.
Bystanders posted pictures and videos of thick smoke, flames on the pavement, and a singed security booth on social media. Several videos showed the fire in an area of US Customs and Border Protection just east of the main vehicle checkpoint. A spokesperson for the agency could not be reached for comment.
Mike Guenther, a witness to the incident, told WGRZ-TV that a vehicle swerved to avoid another car, crashed into a fence, and then exploded.
“All of a sudden, he went up in the air, and then there was a ball of fire like 30 or 40 feet high,” Guenther told the station. “I never saw anything like it.”
The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission called the incident “a serious car crash”.
Buffalo-Niagara International Airport began security checks on all cars and informed passengers to expect additional screenings after closing the bridge and three others between western New York and Ontario.
“Additional measures” are being considered and implemented at Canadian border crossings, Trudeau said. Police in Toronto, about 100 miles away (about 160 kilometres), said they were increasing patrols.
“A huge plume of black smoke” rose up over the border crossing, approximately 50 yards (45 metres) from Niagara Falls State Park, Melissa Raffalow said. In a message to AP, Raffalow said police arrived soon after and began cordoning off the street, urging visitors to disperse.
During his lunch break at his Niagara Tandoori Hut restaurant near the bridge, Raghu Bhattarai heard what he described as a boom. His eyes were opened to black smoke a few minutes later.
In addition to Lewiston, Whirlpool, and Peace Bridge, all four Niagara Falls Bridge crossings were closed, according to the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission.
The National Bridge Inventory of the US Federal Highway Administration estimates that 6,000 vehicles cross the Rainbow Bridge every day. The federal data shows that about 5 per cent of the traffic is truck traffic.
As per the data, the bridge, built in 1941, is almost 1,440 feet (439 metres) long and has a steel main span.
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Vikram Sharma is a globe-trotting journalist with a global perspective on international events. His articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing insights into the world’s most pressing challenges.
