After a fatal car explosion, the Rainbow Bridge that connects the US and Canada near Niagara Falls is still closed for the second day.
On Thanksgiving eve, the Wednesday morning incident caused a significant security scare.
A US border agent was hurt, and the couple who was driving the car—the husband and his wife—were killed.
The governor of New York ruled out terrorism, but there are still a lot of questions, one of which being the couple’s identity.
The explosion occurred on Wednesday at approximately 11:30 local time (16:30 GMT), causing significant disruptions ahead of American Thanksgiving, one of the busiest travel days of the year.
The car sped over an 8-foot (2.4-meter) fence on the New York side of the border close to a checkpoint, according to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who stated that the vehicle traveled at a “very high rate of speed”.
According to Ms. Hochul, the car was “incinerated” and only the engine remained. Not even a license plate could be found.
It was confirmed by US law enforcement that the two occupants of the car were a married couple. However, it’s still unknown what caused them to crash and who they were.
According to CNN, the driver, who was traveling in a 2022 Bentley, had just arrived at a US casino following the cancellation of a hard rock band concert he had planned to attend in Canada.
The Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino, a casino on the New York side of the border less than a mile from the Rainbow Bridge, where the car momentarily stopped, has stated that it is assisting with the current police investigation.
One of the deceased, according to Ms. Hochul, was a “local” from the western New York region.
The Rainbow Bridge connects the cities of Niagara Falls, New York state, and Niagara Falls, Canada. It is a crossing point for automobiles and pedestrians over the Niagara River.
The public broadcaster in Canada was informed by Niagara Falls, Canada, mayor Jim Diodati that he anticipated the crossing to reopen on Thursday or Friday.
