Rainbow Bridge reopens a day after deadly vehicle explosion

The Rainbow Bridge border crossing between Canada and the United States has reopened after a lengthy closure caused by a deadly vehicle explosion Wednesday.

The crossing reopened at 6:30 p.m., border officials announced.

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According to officials, a vehicle sped down the road leading up to a border checkpoint before leaving the roadway, crossing a median and becoming airborne.

The incident was initially being treated as terrorism, but officials later said they are treating it as a traffic incident.

In a statement Thursday, the Niagara Falls Police Department said the investigation is now being handled by its Crash Management Unit.

"Due to the complexity of the incident, the investigation will take some time to complete," the force said.

 

• 'I've never seen anything like this': Video from deadly vehicle explosion at Canada-U.S. border surfaces

New York Governor called surveillance footage released of the incident “surreal.”

 

Trucks are positioned to block the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge where the border crossing between the U.S. and Canada has been closed after a vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on a bridge near Niagara Falls, Ont., Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Carlos Osorio

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said provincial law enforcement was “actively engaged“ in assessing the situation and were working with U.S. officials as required.

In a tweet Thursday, Public Safety Minister Dominic Leblanc reiterated that there was no evidence linking the incident to terrorism.

"The Government of Canada and our law enforcement agencies will continue to work collaboratively with our American counterparts," Leblanc wrote. "However, I want to affirm that there is no evidence of terrorism at this time."

Law enforcement personnel block off the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The border crossing between the U.S. and Canada has been closed after a vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on a bridge near Niagara Falls. (Derek Gee/The Buffalo News via AP)

The identities of the two people who died are not yet being released pending proper identification and notification to their families, police said.

"I want to take this opportunity to personally thank every one of our law enforcement partners for your exemplary response to this tragic incident," the Niagara Falls Police Department said in its statement. "I also want to thank our local business partners, including the Seneca Niagara Casino for your assistance."

The fatal incident shut down all four border crossings in Niagara Region on the eve of the busy U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Around 6,000 vehicles cross the Rainbow Bridge each day, according to U.S. figures. But that number was 11,933 — almost double — last year on Thanksgiving.

The Peace, Lewiston-Queenston, and Whirlpool Bridges have reopened.

With files from CTV News Toronto