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A speeding vehicle slammed into the Rainbow Bridge near Niagara Falls on Wednesday, killing two people, closing all four bridges at the U.S. border with Canada in western New York and putting both countries on high alert.
Hours later as the investigation continued, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said there was no indication of a terrorist attack.
"Based on what we know at this moment - and, again, anything can change," she said, "there is no sign of terrorist activity in this crash."
Jim Diodati, the mayor of Niagara Falls, Ontario, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. that it appeared to be "an isolated incident."
The White House said President Joe Biden had been informed of the incident, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament, "This is obviously a very serious situation in Niagara Falls."
Trudeau excused himself from Question Period in the House of Commons to be briefed further, saying, "We are taking this extraordinarily seriously."
The blast occurred on the U.S. side of the Rainbow Bridge, which links the two countries over the Niagara River. With uncertainty surrounding the incident near the world-renowned waterfalls, officials took the precaution of also closing the Peace Bridge, Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and the Whirlpool Bridge, with traffic lanes blocked both into and out of the U.S. and Canada.
Authorities at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport began security checks on all cars and told passengers to expect additional screenings.
Two people were found dead in the vehicle, law enforcement officials said. And a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was injured.
Local police and the top U.S. criminal investigative agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, opened an investigation into the explosion, which occurred within sight of the much-visited Niagara Falls.
Bystanders posted photos and videos on social media that showed thick smoke, flames on the pavement and a security booth that had been singed by flames.
Videos showed that the fire was in a Customs and Border Protection area just east of the main vehicle checkpoint.
Speaking to WGRZ-TV, Mike Guenther said he saw a vehicle speeding toward the crossing from the U.S. side of the border when it swerved to avoid another car, crashed into a fence and exploded.
"All of a sudden he went up in the air and then it was a ball of fire, like, 30 or 40 feet high," Guenther told the station. "I never saw anything like it."
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and New York's Hochul were briefed on the situation, their offices said.
The explosion occurred on one of the busiest travel days in the U.S., the day before the annual Thanksgiving holiday, when many families were driving or flying to visit relatives and friends.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press.