All four bridges connecting Canada with New York are currently closed after a vehicle explosion.
At 11:27 AM Wednesday morning, a vehicle exploded at a US border checkpoint near Niagara Falls, New York, killing two occupants and injuring a nearby Border Patrol officer. According to several reports, the FBI and ATF are investigating the incident with local and state law enforcement, and details are unclear as to whether this was a horrific accident or an intentional act. Update 11/22/2023: Citing preliminary information, New York Gov. Hochul said “there is no indication of a terrorist-involved attack here at the Rainbow Bridge.” (Video: WCNC, via YouTube)
“The FBI Buffalo Field Office is investigating a vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge between the US and Canada in Niagara Falls,” the agency said in a statement early Wednesday afternoon. “The FBI is coordinating with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners in this investigation. As this situation is very fluid, that’s all we can say at this time.” According to several reports including one by Buffalo outlet WGRZ-TV, New York Governor Kathy Hochul visited the site Wednesday afternoon.
Videos and eyewitness accounts show the vehicle exploded after hitting an obstacle on the American side of the checkpoint, with a source telling The Buffalo News that the occupants were heading from the US side of the border toward Canada – or driving in the lanes Canadians would use to cross over to the US side of the Rainbow Bridge. However, other early reports note the vehicle was traveling from the Canadian side, so that is just one of the many details about which we don’t currently have clear information.
Some outlets have already reported the incident as an attempted terror attack, though authorities have not made any official comment on what triggered this incident, as the investigation is ongoing. As of Wednesday afternoon, the specifics of what led up to this explosion remain unclear, other than confirmation that the two occupants that were inside the vehicle are deceased.
For the time being, all four international bridges connecting the US and Canada in Erie and Niagara counties in New York are shut down to traffic in both directions. The incident comes just one day before Thanksgiving, which is one of the busiest travel days of the year in the United States.
We’ll post an update, add to or correct this post when more accurate information is available.
