The United States and Canadian governments went into high alert, four international bridges were closed and cross-border train travel came to a halt after a car exploded on the American side of a Niagara Falls bridge, upending travel plans and sowing fear on the busiest travel day of the year.
Two people died Wednesday in the crash at the Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge, officials said. In an evening briefing, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York said that the speeding car crashed into a median and flew over an eight-foot fence before it burst into a cloud of flames and oily smoke. A Customs and Border Protection officer who sustained minor injuries was quickly released from the hospital, Ms. Hochul said.
The crash, which happened around 11:30 a.m. on the day before Thanksgiving, set off a race to protect residents and discover what happened. A preliminary investigation found no indications of terrorism, Ms. Hochul said.
Video shows a scene that looks like it was “generated by A.I.” Ms. Hochul said. The only piece of the car left was the engine, she said, and pieces of the vehicle were scattered for yards.
“There was a horrific incident, a crash, an explosion, loss of life,” she said. “But at this time, no known terrorist connection.”
In the hours after the crash, officials took no chances. Buffalo’s Peace Bridge to Canada was temporarily closed, as were the Lewiston-Queenston and Whirlpool Bridges. Other crossings were on “heightened alert status.” The…
