Two people are dead after the vehicle they were travelling in exploded at the US-Canada Rainbow Bridge border crossing.
Just before 12pm on Wednesday (US time), a car travelling from the Canadian side of the border drove through initial checkpoints.
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A law enforcement officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity to the Associated Press confirmed the deaths.
“Two people were found dead in a vehicle that exploded at a checkpoint on the American side of a US-Canada bridge in Niagara Falls Wednesday,” a law enforcement official told the Associated Press.
According to multiple law enforcement sources, the vehicle was directed to another area for a secondary search, however the explosion occurred heading towards this area.
It is unknown what caused the explosion, and there are conflicting reports on its suspected cause.
NBC said four law enforcement officials told them no explosives were found in the vehicle, and the incident is not being treated as terrorist related.
Meanwhile Fox News has reported that “according to high-level police sources, the explosion was an attempted terrorist attack” and “a lot of explosives [were] in the vehicle at the time”.
As the FBI and law enforcement agencies continue their investigations, four border crossings – Rainbow Bridge, Whirlpool Bridge, Queenston Bridge and Peace Bridge – have been closed, Canadian prime minster Justin Trudeau said.
Buffalo Airport will continue operating its flights as scheduled but have implemented addiction security measures “system-wide”.
“Cars coming into Buffalo Airport will undergo security checks and travellers can expect additional screenings,” a statement read.