Vehicle explosion kills two near Canada United States border bridge Franceinfo

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke of a “very serious situation” on Wednesday.

Published on November 22, 2023 9:18 p.m. Updated on November 22, 2023 11:38 p.m

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Travelers cross the Rainbow Bridge, Ontario, November 8, 2021. (GEOFF ROBINS / AFP)

On Wednesday, November 22, a vehicle explosion occurred at a border bridge between Canada and the United States. The explosion left two dead and was not related to “terrorist activity,” New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said in the evening.

“At this point there is no evidence that this was terrorist activity,” Kathy Hochul told reporters, calling it a “terrible incident, an accident.” [de voiture]an explosion (…), but at this point there is no proven terrorist connection,” added the head of the state government, confirming the death of the two people who were in the car at the Rainbow Bridge.

“The situation at Niagara Falls is obviously very serious. A vehicle exploded at the Rainbow Bridge,” Canadian government chief Justin Trudeau told Parliament. “There are still many questions and we are trying to get answers as quickly as possible,” he added. “This is obviously a very serious situation,” confirmed Canadian Defense Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc, reporting to American media CNN.

Improved security

The White House said it had informed President Joe Biden of the explosion. The US city of Niagara Falls announced on its Facebook page that the Rainbow Bridge was closed “until further notice.”

A witness interviewed by CBS said he saw a car “fly away at more than 100 miles per hour (160 km/h)” and then saw a “ball of fire” on the bridge.

The governor of New York State said on The FBI, New York State Police and US Customs and Border Protection are investigating the crime scene, CNN reports.

The mayor of New York City, hundreds of miles south, Eric Adams, announced that “security” would be “enhanced” in the megacity on the eve of the long Thanksgiving weekend, when millions of Americans travel to celebrate with family .