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Thursday November 23, 2023 | 07:45 WIB

Surya Lesmana / THE

New York, Beritasatu.com – A total of four border crossings between the United States and Canada were closed after a vehicle explosion at a checkpoint on the U.S. territory connecting the two countries in Niagara, New York, on Wednesday (11/22/2023), local time.

A police official said two people in a vehicle died in the explosion on the Rainbow Bridge in the United States over the Niagara River.

Authorities in both countries immediately closed three other border crossings between Western New York and Ontario as a precaution. Meanwhile, Buffalo-Niagara International Airport has begun stricter security screenings for all passing cars.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) field office in Buffalo, New York, said it was coordinating with all law enforcement agencies and described the situation as likely to change.

There is no further information regarding the cause of the explosion.

Photos and videos taken by local residents and uploaded to social media show thick smoke and security posts engulfed in flames. Video shows the fire broke out in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection area east of the main vehicle checkpoint.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was informed and the White House said it was monitoring the situation closely.

“This is clearly a very serious situation in Niagara Falls,” Trudeau told Parliament.

“We take this very seriously,” he continued.

Ivan Vitalii, a Ukrainian visiting Niagara Falls, told The Niagara Gazette newspaper that he and a friend were near the bridge when they heard the sound of it breaking. “We saw flames and black smoke,” he said.