The incident unfolded when a speeding car collided with a checkpoint barrier at Rainbow Bridge, erupting into flames and prompting border closures….reports Asian Lite News
The Niagara Falls border crossing between the U.S. and Canada, where a deadly car explosion occurred, reopened on Thursday.
The incident unfolded when a speeding car collided with a checkpoint barrier at Rainbow Bridge, erupting into flames and prompting border closures.
Despite the massive security alert on the eve of a major holiday, the FBI field office determined the blast, occurred approximately 400 miles northwest of New York City, was not connected to terrorism.
The Canada Border Services Agency announced the resumption of normal operations for traveller traffic at the Niagara Falls Rainbow Bridge port of entry, following the service disruption.
The explosion took place on the eve of Thanksgiving Day amid heightened tensions over the Israel-Hamas war that has spawned high emotions and protests across the two neighbours.
All four bridges in the Niagra area were shut down and other crossings were put on “heightened alert status.”
Meanwhile, the Buffalo Niagara International Airport in New York is “open and fully operational” after being shut down briefly following the explosion at the Rainbow Bridge.
The US Federal Aviation Administration had reported that a closure was in effect at the airport and that flights in and out of the airport were grounded.
However, airport officials never reported that the airport had closed, and stated in a pair of posts on X (formerly Twitter) that the airport was “open and fully operational”.
“In response to the incident that is unfolding at the Rainbow Bridge, the NFTA is increasing security system-wide,” the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority wrote in an update on X on Wednesday afternoon, adding that cars coming into the Buffalo Airport will undergo security checks and travellers can expect additional screenings, CTV News reported.
“We advise travellers to give themselves time for these extra precautions in addition to holiday travel,” it added.
Notably, while the Canadian government officials had been operating under the assumption that the explosion was terror-related, CTV News reported citing national security sources, the US officials have said that there is “no indication of a terrorist attack” at this point of time.
The Rainbow Bridge, which links Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, and Niagara Falls, New York, is a well-liked tourist destination. The Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, and the Peace Bridge are the other border crossings in the area.
The Rainbow Bridge crossing connecting the US and Canada near Niagara Falls has been shut as the federal authorities in Buffalo, New York, have said that an investigation is underway.
