WASHINGTON: There is no indication that an explosion at the Rainbow Bridge connecting the United States (US) to Canada at Niagara Falls was a terrorist attack, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Wednesday.
“There is no sign of terrorist activity with respect to this crash. We’ve identified that this is a local individual, a Western New Yorker,“ Anadolu Agency (AA) quoted Hochul as saying during a press briefing.
Two people in the vehicle died and a Border Patrol officer in the booth at the scene of the blast suffered minor injuries, she said.
Hochul said the bridge will remain closed as law enforcement continues its investigation.
“We’re trying to identify all the elements to make sure that there are no unforeseen situations that we need to address before we can open again to the public,“ she added.
She said an extraordinarily high rate of speed led to the crash.
The remaining bridges connecting the two countries — Peace Bridge, Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and Whirlpool Bridge — are now opened, according to police.
Footage on social media showed smoke and damage at the blast site.
The governor thanked law enforcement including the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for their efforts to assist in trying to identify what exactly transpired at the scene as of 11.27 am local time (1627GMT).
Earlier, the FBI said it was investigating a “vehicle explosion” at the bridge.
“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,“ it said in a statement. – Bernama
