Rainbow Bridge: Two dead after car flew into air and exploded on US-Canada border

Canada has reinforced all its border security measures after a car exploded while crossing a bridge which connects the country to the US.

The car was crossing the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the US and Canada near Niagara Falls, when the explosion happened.

Two male passengers who were in the car were declared dead at the scene, according to law enforcement sources on the ground. A border agent was also injured.

US terrorism investigators were responding to the incident, but New York Governor Kathy Hochul said there was “no indication of a terrorist attack.”

Canadian officials said it was too early to say whether it was a “deliberate act”.

Photos and video from the scene showed large flames near a security booth at the crossing.

Eye witnesses described the car rising around 10 feet into the air after it hit a fence, before it crashed to the ground in a ball of fire.

The Rainbow Bridge is one of four border crossings connecting Ontario to western New York – among the busiest entry points between Canada and the US.

The others, Lewiston, Whirlpool and Peace Bridge, were closed for several hours following the explosion, but have since reopened.

Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister, said “additional measures are being contemplated and activated at all border crossings across the country”.

“We are taking this extraordinarily seriously,” he added.

It comes on one of America’s busiest travel days, on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday.  

12:15 AM GMTBlog is now closed

Thanks for following along with our live coverage of today’s explosion on the US/Canada border.

12:13 AM GMTCCTV pictures of the explosion

A vehicle burns at the Rainbow Bridge U.S. border crossing with Canada, in Niagara Falls, New York,

Picture from security footage of vehicle explosion

11:47 PM GMTFBI says no signs crash was terror-related

Asked why he believes there isn’t a threat of terrorism, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia said, “We do have someone in mind for it and we’re working through it through the JTTF (Joint Terrorism Task Force).”

“We do not have any derogatory information on this person that we’ve identified, we’re scanning his social media, there’s nothing there, we’re still running a full investigation so that’s a preliminary assessment.

“We feel, at this point, this might be just something that occurred, there’s no larger picture here to look at for now.”

11:19 PM GMTChuck Schumer: FBI has identified the driver10:42 PM GMTThree of four border bridges reopened

Three of the four bridges joining Canada and the US have been reopened.

The Peace, Lewiston-Queenston and Whirlpool bridges had been closed for several hours following the blast.

The Rainbow Bridge – where the crash happened – remains closed.

“We’re going to make sure the public is safe before they go back on the Rainbow Bridge”, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.

Amtrak has temporarily suspended its cross border service between New York State and Canada.

10:30 PM GMTDriver was a Western New Yorker

Appearing to refer to the driver, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said: “We’ve identified that this is a local individual, a western New Yorker, two individuals died in the vehicle.”

She said a border patrol staff member working in the booth was injured and the booth had “literally protected that individual”.

The staff member was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries and has now been released.

10:23 PM GMTNew York Governor: No sign of terrorist attack

Governor Kathy Hochul is currently holding a press conference on the car explosion.

She said while more information could arise, based on the preliminary investigation there is “no sign of terrorist involvement in the horrific explosion that occurred here in Western New York.”

She said it was a “horrific incident, a crash, an explosion, loss of life, but at this time no known terrorist connection”.

She said the driver had been travelling at an “extraordinarily high rate of speed”. 

09:59 PM GMTCar was travelling from US into Canada

The car was driving from the US side of the border towards Canada when it exploded, sources told CNN.

Police officials told the broadcaster CCTV analysis traced the car to a New York casino ahead of the incident.

While the authorities have identified the owner of the vehicle, they are still working to identify the bodies of those killed.

09:50 PM GMTBomb ruled out as cause of blast

A bomb has been ruled out as the cause of the blast which killed two people at the border, a source told Reuters.

The source said terrorism had not yet been discounted “because we really have no idea what happened”.

09:38 PM GMTWhere the explosion happened09:35 PM GMTNew York Mayor says NYPD officers deployed to support09:11 PM GMTExtra security at US – Canada borders

Extra security measures have been put in place at border zones across the US and Canada.

Security has been bolstered in Washington DC.

The Buffalo Niagara International airport is closed to international flights on one of the busiest travel days of the year for America. Domestic flights are still arriving and departing, but the TSA said it was operating in a “heightened state”.

08:47 PM GMTWatch: Footage from the scene

The Telegraph’s video desk has put together this wrap of the footage we have so far from the scene.

08:44 PM GMTIncident appears to be ‘reckless driver’, initial assessment suggests

An initial US customs and border protection assessment suggests the incident was caused by reckless driving, a source familiar with the investigation told Reuters.

The assessment suggests the crash and fire were not caused by a deliberate act. 

07:50 PM GMTCar ‘sped up’ before explosion

US media cited law enforcement sources as saying there were two people in the car, which had passed through one border checkpoint where it was selected for a secondary check.

The car then sped up, crashed into a barrier and exploded, the sources said, stressing it was unclear if the blast was the result of the impact or from a device.

07:50 PM GMTDramatic images of the scene

Here are some of the images we are getting from the scene.

Rainbow Bridge

Flames at the US – Canada border

07:32 PM GMTTrudeau: ‘We are taking this extraodinarily seriously’

Mr Trudeau said his government was taking the situation “extraordinarily seriously” as he addressed Canadian MPs in Parliament just now.

“There are a lot of questions”, Mr Trudeau said, “and we are following up to try and get as many answers as rapidly as possible”.

He said: “We are in close contact with US officials and we’ll continue to work closely with them.”

Mr Trudeau said all four border crossings from Canada into western New York were currently closed.

“Additional Measures are being contemplated and activated at all border crossings across the country,” he said.

“We are taking this extraordinarily seriously.”

Mr Trudeau then excused himself from the chamber so he could go and receive “further updates and work on this very serious situation”.

The Canadian Prime Minister was applauded by other MPs as he left the chamber.

07:25 PM GMTCanada: Too soon to say if it was ‘deliberate act’

Dominic LeBlanc, the Canadian public safety minister, said he and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were receiving regular updates on the incidents.

Mr LeBlanc said there was currently no reliable, verifiable information on whether there was a public safety risk.

He added that it was “too soon” to say if the explosion was a “deliberate act”.

07:23 PM GMTReports of two passengers dead

The two passengers in the exploded car are dead, according to sources quoted by Fox News.

One border patrol has also been injured, the cable network reported.

Canada/US Border closed at Niagara Falls, Rainbow Bridge

07:15 PM GMTBiden being briefed

President Joe Biden is being brought up to speed on the incident during his Thanksgiving break in Nantucket, an official said.

The White House is closely monitoring the situation.

07:08 PM GMTJoint terror task force investigating

A joint terrorism task force (JTTF) is investigating the incident, the New York governor said.

“At my direction, New York State Police is actively working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York,” Kathy Hochul said.

There is understood to be a system-wide uptick in security screenings at the border as a result. It comes on one of America’s busiest travel days of the year – the day before the Thanksgiving holiday.

06:59 PM GMTCar was attempting to enter the US

A car was attempting to enter the US side of the border, according to a spokesman for the mayor of the city of Niagara Falls.

“We don’t really know too much – just that there was a vehicle trying to come into the US and they shut down both sides of the bridge,” Aaron Ferguson told CNN.

06:44 PM GMTPhoto from the scene

A photo from the scene shows what is left after a vehicle exploded at Rainbow Bridge.

Canada/US Border

06:42 PM GMTExplosion on Rainbow Bridge

The FBI’s field office in Buffalo said in a statement that it was investigating the explosion on the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the two countries across the Niagara River.

Photos and video taken by news organisations and posted on social media showed a security booth that had been singed by flames.

Further information wasn’t immediately available.

06:40 PM GMTBorder crossing closed

Border crossing between US and Canada closed after vehicle explosion on bridge near Niagara Falls, FBI says

06:38 PM GMTThis is a breaking news story

The FBI has described the situation as “very fluid”. We will keep you updated.

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