Witnesses describe ‘terrifying’ scene following deadly Rainbow Bridge car explosion
Posted November 23, 2023 10:48 am.
As local law enforcement continues to investigate the cause of a fiery fatal crash at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, some Canadian witnesses who were at the customs checkpoint on Wednesday morning are describing the “terrifying” scene.
The FBI has ruled out terrorism and says there was no evidence of explosive materials in the crash debris after a Bentley sedan reportedly sped out of control and exploded on the American side of the bridge.
Toronto resident Paola Tamang was at the U.S. customs office when the blast happened and says she felt the entire building shake.
“It felt like an earthquake,” she says.
The driver and passenger inside the vehicle in the crash were both killed. The identities of the deceased have not been released, but sources have told The Associated Press they were a husband and wife.
“It was sideways, the trunk had blown off, there was debris everywhere,” said Tamang. “It looked really terrible.”
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has released camera footage capturing a car entering the customs area at an extremely high speed. The vehicle appears to mount a median and then fly through the air, where it is reported to have crashed into a customs booth while bursting into flames.
Another Canadian witness, who did not want to be named, says he was terrified as he scrambled to figure out what had just happened.
“A Sedan went up in flames so quickly,” he said. “The smoke was so thick.”
A separate video taken by a witness showed the aftermath of the crash, with large plumes of smoke billowing from the wreckage.
Both witnesses told CityNews that a customs officer escorted them from the building and told them to walk back across the bridge to Canada. They were told their vehicles would be stuck at customs until the border reopened.
The incident set off security alerts on both sides of the border, and on Wednesday afternoon, all four international crossings between the Niagara Region and Western New York were closed. The Rainbow Bridge is the only crossing that remains closed.
“We’re all just unclear about how long it’s going to be closed,” says Tamang.
There is no word from officials on when the bridge will reopen.
With files from CityNews reporter Michelle Mackey
