2 dead after blast at Rainbow Bridge linking Ontario-N.Y., governor says 'no sign' of terrorism

There's no indication that a vehicle crash and explosion Wednesday that killed two people on the American side of the Rainbow Bridge — which connects Ontario and New York — is linked to terrorism, says New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

"Based on what we know at this moment, there is no sign of terrorist activity in this crash," Hochul said at a news conference.

She said an individual from Western New York was "involved" in a "crash," but she did not clarify if the person was the driver. She said events began at 11:27 a.m. ET.

"We're going to ensure the public is safe before they go back on the Rainbow Bridge."

The explosion led to the closure of four area bridge border crossings ahead of the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend. Information about the second person who died also wasn't available.

Shortly after 5 p.m., Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said the Peace, Queenston-Lewiston and Whirlpool Rapids bridges had reopened. The Rainbow Bridge remained closed.

"Naturally, at a time of heightened alert, everybody springs into action." Hochul said. "We're not aware of any threats to this area, but I state the caveat that the investigation is ongoing." 

Canadian government sources told CBC News on Wednesday afternoon that answers about what happened may take some time as the vehicle involved was badly burned. Ottawa is "highly confident" the car originated in the United States, they said.

Hochul said a video shows how the vehicle basically "incinerated" and nothing was left but the engine.

"It's going to take a lot of time for our federal law enforcement partners ... to be able to piece together the real story."

Earlier Wednesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Buffalo Field Office said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that it was investigating a vehicle explosion.

"The FBI is coordinating with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners in this investigation. As this situation is very fluid, that's all we can say at this time."

The Buffalo Niagara International airport said on X that it was open and "fully operational." 

The Rainbow Bridge connects the tourism sectors of Niagara Falls, Ont., and Niagara Falls, N.Y. It has 16 car inspection lanes into the U.S. and 15 into Canada. The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission website, which oversees the three bridges, says they see about seven million passages annually.