After a speeding car connected with fire on the bridge connecting New York state and Ontario at Niagara Falls on Wednesday, all four border crossings between Canada and the US were closed for hours.
The serious cars crash claimed the lives of two other people.
The explosion took place on the US side of the Rainbow Bridge, which spans the Niagara River to link the two nations. As a precaution, three more bridges connecting western New York and Ontario were promptly blocked.
Though the details surrounding the Rainbow Bridge emergency remained unclear, making it difficult to tell whether it was an accident or deliberate, US officials stated hours later that they had not found any evidence of a terror act.
According to the mayor's office in Niagara Falls, the event concerned a car that was entering the US from Canada.
"At this time, there is no indication of a terrorist attack," New York Governor Kathy Hochul told reporters following the event.
As a precaution, the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, the Whirlpool Bridge, the Peace Bridge, and the Rainbow Bridge—the other three border crossings over the Niagara River that connect southern Ontario and western New York—were all closed for several hours following the incident.
On "heightened alert status," other international crossings continued to be open, the governor said.
Early on Wednesday night, the three unaffected bridges were reopened, but the Rainbow crossing remained closed while authorities continued their investigation and evaluated the crossing's safety.
