Smoke billows from Niagara Falls explosion as two people dead in vehicle blast
Police are using 3D scanning technology to help create a “digital crash scene”, as the investigation into Wednesday’s Rainbow Bridge vehicle explosion continues.
Niagara Falls Police Department Chief John Faso said investigations were likely to take a while, adding: “This is not something that’s going to happen overnight. It’s a monumental task.”
Investigators are now probing whether a mechanical failure could be to blame, with experts suggesting that the vehicle’s Event Data Recorder (EDR) – which is similar to an aircraft’s “black box” – may be critical to discovering the cause of the crash.
Robert Restaino, the mayor of Niagara Falls, told The New York Times that the Bentley the couple, identified on Friday as Kurt P Villani and Monica Villani, was driving in was an older model and may have experienced some sort of mechanical glitch that caused it to suddenly accelerate as it approached the border checkpoint.
Dramatic footage captured the vehicle speeding up before it hit a curb on the US side of the border, became airborne and then combusted, killing the pair inside.
The blast instantly sparked fears of a terrorist attack but New York Governor Kathy Hochul and FBI officials later said there was “no sign of terrorist activity”.
