The Rainbow Bridge has been shut down until further notice following a vehicle explosion incident near the American border inspection area that has resulted in smoke and fire. The local police, along with Niagara Falls Police Department and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, in addition to other agencies, are on-site following eyewitness accounts of the event around 11:20 a.m. Wednesday.
The vehicle is reported to have been traveling into the United States from Canada. This information was released by ABC News.
Reports indicate that the explosion is the result of a car bomb. The two individuals in the vehicle are deceased. FOX News has reported that this was an attempted terror attack in Niagara Falls, USA at the Rainbow Bridge.
Fox News has further reported that authroories are searching for a 2nd Vehicle in Connection to the Attempted Terror Attack.
According to reports, two individuals who witnessed the incident recounted hearing a loud noise, resembling an explosion. They further claimed to have seen a large plume of smoke near the inspection station just prior to the police's arrival.
One of the witnesses, a tourist from Ukraine, Ivan Vitalii, was at a nearby 7-Eleven store when he spotted a car leaving the lot heading towards the bridge. He mentioned that he and his friend later spotted the same car aflame close to the bridge entrance. We heard something shatter. We witnessed a fire and a big plume of black smoke, Vitalii explained (information from Niagara Gazette).
A local resident, Dan Ziraldo, mentioned leaving the parking area at the Seneca One Stop, near Seneca Niagara Casino when he noticed a large, smoke cloud near the Rainbow Bridge. On approaching Rainbow Boulevard and Niagara Street, Ziraldo spotted a vehicle ablaze, giving the impression of a car crashing into the bridge (information from Niagara Gazette).