Four border crossings between the US and Canada were closed after a vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on a bridge near Niagara Falls, reportedly killing two people.
New York governor Kathy Hochul said after a preliminary investigation there was “no indication of a terrorist attack” in the explosion which happened on the US side of the Rainbow Bridge.
Hochul added: “The world is watching to find out what’s happening here”, citing “high stress” around the Israel-Hamas war. “Based on the preliminary investigation there’s no sign of terrorist” activity in the crash, Hochul said.
Three out of four of the US-Canada crossings, the Lewiston, Whirlpool and Peace Bridge, have been reopened after being temporarily shuttered. The Rainbow Bridge remains closed.
US Customs and Border Protection said it was working closely with the FBI and federal, state and local partners and the White House said it was watching the situation closely.
Law enforcement officials have identified the registered owner of the vehicle involved in the explosion at Rainbow Bridge, according to authorities who spoke to CNN. Hochul said in a press briefing that it was an individual local to western New York.
The New York City police department has sent NYPD officers upstate to “support efforts on the ground” following the explosion.
Several services were paused or otherwise halted. International arrivals and departures have been halted at the Buffalo Niagara international airport, CNN reports the Federal Aviation Authority saying. Amtrak suspended its services between New York and Canada.
A witness that saw the crash said the vehicle involved looked like it was traveling “over 100 miles an hour”.
