VAM News Update
A speeding car crashed and exploded in a deadly fireball on a US-Canada border bridge, triggering a major security scare on the eve of Thanksgiving.
VAM News gathered that Two people in the vehicle died, and a US border agent was injured, but New York’s governor ruled out terrorism.
The car was being driven from the New York side of the border to Rainbow Bridge when it crashed at a checkpoint.
The incident by Niagara Falls saw the closure of four bridges on the world’s longest international border.
The explosion happened at around 11:30 local time (16:30 GMT) on Wednesday, causing serious disruption on one of the busiest travel days of the year, the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.
Cross-border train travel was temporarily halted and officers at Buffalo and Niagara Falls airports went into a heightened state of alert screening cars for explosives.
The agency’s conclusions echo what New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday evening at a press conference when she told the media there was no evidence that the crash on the U.S. side of the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the U.S. to Canada at Niagara Falls, New York, was a terrorist attack.
She also told reporters at the news conference that there was no indication of any explosives at the scene.
Meanwhile, all crossings are currently closed until further notice, officials say.