Investigations did not rule out "terrorism" in the car explosion on the border bridge between America and Canada (Anatolia)
Two people were killed Wednesday in a car explosion on the Rainbow Bridge border bridge linking Canada to the United States, but the bomb explosion hypothesis has been ruled out.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation announced on platform "X" that the explosion occurred near the famous Niagara Falls at a border crossing between the US state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario.
The Federal Police Office in Buffalo, New York, near Niagara Falls, sent in counterterrorism investigators.
The FBI's field office in Buffalo said that "this situation is very opaque, that's all we can say at the moment."
A source familiar with the preliminary investigations told Reuters on condition of anonymity that a driver and a passenger were killed in the explosion, noting that "terrorism" has not yet been ruled out because the circumstances of the incident have not yet been determined.
"He didn't rule out (terrorism) because we really have no idea what happened," the source added.
A witness told CBS that he saw a car "fly at more than 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers)" with the possible impact of the explosion, noting that he later saw a "ball of fire" on the bridge.
Images of the border crossing showed wreckage and a heavy police deployment.
Police close border crossing to Niagara Falls border city after car explosion (French)
The US city of Niagara Falls said on its Facebook page that the Rainbow Bridge was closed "until further notice".
New York Governor Kathy Hakol announced on platform X that state police are working with the FBI's counterterrorism task force to "monitor all entry points into New York."
Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, hundreds of kilometers south, said security would be "beefed" in the city on the eve of a long Thanksgiving weekend.
The White House also announced that it had informed US President Joe Biden of the explosion.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to parliament of a "very serious situation", without clarifying whether the first leads pointed to a "terrorist" act or just an accident.
Trudeau told the House of Commons: "It's obviously a very dangerous situation near Niagara Falls. A car exploded at the Rainbow bridge crossing," he said, adding: "There are still many questions and we are trying to get answers as quickly as possible."
Source: Agencies