Niagara Falls: Rainbow Bridge explosion not believed to be terror-related, says New York governor

Terrorism has been ruled out after two people were killed in an explosion on Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls on the border of US and Canada.

In an incident which took place at around 11.30am local time, a speeding car was driven onto the bridge from the US side of the border before it crashed into a checkpoint, killing two passengers in the vehicle and injuring a US border officer. It sparked fears that a terror-related attack was under way due to it taking place on one of the busiest travel days, the day before Thanksgiving in the US.

Four bridges were along the border between the US and Canada, while train services were also suspended. Extra security checks were put into place at airports in Buffalo, New York and Niagara, with cars being screened for explosives. Unsubstantiated rumours also spread online about a possible threat to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

However, New York governor Kathy Hochul said that there did not appear to be any connection to terrorism. She told reporters: "Based on what we know at this moment, there is no sign of terrorist activity with respect to this crash." However she added that it was unclear whether the crash was unintentional.

Her word were echoed by US Attorney Trini Ross, who said: “Our preliminary investigation of the situation is that it was not terrorism related but we will continue to stay vigilant. We will continue to make sure that the information we have is passed onto the public.” This was again reiterated by the FBI, which said that there was no evidence of explosive materials in the vehicle.

CNN reported that those killed in the vehicle included a 56-year-old man who was driving with his wife to attend a Kiss concert scheduled to take place on Toronto on Wednesday evening. However, officials have not identified the pair.