Rainbow Bridge explosion: Possible cause of Niagara Falls crash revealed
Unidentified New York man and his wife’s Bentley may have suffered mechanical failure as it approached the Niagara Falls crossing
Smoke billows from Niagara Falls explosion as two people dead in vehicle blast
The cause of Wednesday’s Rainbow Bridge vehicle explosion remains something of a mystery, with investigators now probing whether a mechanical failure could be to blame.
Robert Restaino, the mayor of Niagara Falls, told The New York Times that the Bentley the couple, identified on Friday as Kurt P Villani and Monica Villani, was driving in was an older model and may have experienced some sort of mechanical glitch that caused it to suddenly accelerate as it approached the border checkpoint.
Dramatic footage captured the vehicle speeding up before it hit a curb on the US side of the border, became airborne and then combusted, killing the pair inside.
The blast instantly sparked fears of a terrorist attack but New York Governor Kathy Hochul and FBI officials later said there was “no sign of terrorist activity”.
Instead, law enforcement sources told CNN that the victims were a local New York man and his wife, who have not been named, who were planning to attend a KISS concert in Canada on Wednesday night.
The gig was cancelled and so they stopped by the Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino before the vehicle made the ill-fated trip towards the US-Canada border crossing.
Mystery clouds the cause of the Rainbow Bridge crash
The cause of the Rainbow Bridge deadly vehicle explosion remains something of a mystery, with investigators now exploring whether a mechanical failure in the car could be to blame.
Kurt and Monica Villani, both 53, were killed on Wednesday when their speeding Bentley rammed into the border crossing along Niagara Falls, which connects the US and Canada.
The blast instantly sparked fears of a terrorist attack, prompting Canadian and US officials to briefly close all four border bridges between the two nations and ground planes at nearby Buffalo Airport.
Hours later, the FBI Buffalo office and New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that there were no signs that the incident was terror-related.
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Mystery as investigators probe possible cause of Rainbow Bridge crash
Robert Restaino, the mayor of Niagara Falls, says the Bentley the New York couple was driving in may have experienced some sort of mechanical failure
ICYMI: What happened in the fatal crash
A couple from New York died after a vehicle exploded at a US-Canada border crossing at Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, on Wednesday 22 November.
The car was attempting to enter Canada from the United States when it sped toward a checkpoint, crashed into a fence and erupted “into a fireball” just before midday, according to witnesses.
Video footage and photos showed flames and thick black smoke billowing from the checkpoint, and a security booth that had been charred by flames.
The blast killed two, reportedly injured one Border Patrol officer and led to the closure of four border crossings between the US and Canada in New York state.
Despite mounting speculation the crash was a terrorist act, within hours, investigators had ruled out that the car had been carrying explosives or was connected to terrorism.
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What we know about the deadly Rainbow Bridge explosion
Authorities have confirmed the incident was not a terrorist attack but the reason for the crash remains unclear
What happened to the border patrol worker?
A Customs and Border Protection worker in a checkpoint booth was injured after the couple’s Bentley rammed into the booth.
The CBP worker was treated at a hospital for minor injuries and released, Gov Kathy Hochul said.
Who were the two people killed in the blast?
Law enforcement sources told CNN on Wednesday night that the Rainbow Bridge crash is believed to have involved a local New York individual and a passenger who had planned to attend a KISS concert in Toronto, Canada.
The concert was cancelled earlier in the day due to frontman, Paul Stanley, falling ill with the flu.
Police identified the couple on Friday as Kurt P Villani and Monica Villani, both 53; they lived in Grand Island, New York. They are survived by two children, according to an obiturary for the husband’s father.
The Villanis own Gui’s Lumber, a business with eight locations across western New York.
In a statement to CBC, the business wrote: “We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all that [have] extended prayers, condolences and well wishes. We are deeply touched. At this point, we would request privacy so we may begin the process of healing.”
A statement from the family
The Villanis own Gui’s Lumber, a chain of stores across western New York. CBC reached out to the business:
“We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all that [have] extended prayers, condolences and well wishes. We are deeply touched. At this point, we would request privacy so we may begin the process of healing,” the statement says
Tributes pour in for couple killed in fiery crash
The husband and wife were members of Niagara Sailing Club on Grand Island, the club’s treasurer Scott Henderson told NBC-affiliate-WGRZ.
“Not only were people talking but then I made an announcement and some people were just incredibly shocked,” he said.
“It’s just not only a younger couple like that, but so ingrained and influential in this community.”
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Tributes pour in for couple killed in fiery crash on Rainbow Bridge
Friends in the upstate New York community of Grand Island spoke out after the couple died in the crash at the border between the US and Canada
The timeline
Wednesday, 22 November:
- The band KISS cancelled its Toronto show due to frontman Paul Stanley catching the flu
- A New York couple, who had been planning on going to the concert, decide to go to a casino
- The couple left the casino, and headed toward the bridge
- 11.50am: The Rainbow Bridge was closed due to a “traffic event”
- Gov Kathy Hochul announces “there is no indication of a terrorist attack”
- The FBI also said “no terrorism nexus was identified”
Friday, 24 November:
- Police identify the couple as Kurt P Villani and Monica Villani from Grand Island New York
- They were survived by their two children
Buffalo airport reopens to international flights after explosion
Buffalo Niagara International Airport has reopened to arriving international flights and departures following a car explosion that occurred at the US-Canada border in Niagara Falls on Wednesday, according to the US Department of Transportation.
It had been closed earlier in the afternoon as officials investigated the cause of the blast.
The incident occurred shortly before 12pm. Authorities say that the vehicle had attempted to cross the US border into Canada using Rainbow Bridge. When a border patrol officer directed the car into a secondary lane for searching, it sped up, went airborne over an 8-foot fence, crashed, caught on fire and then exploded.
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Buffalo airport reopens to international flights after Niagara blast
The explosion happened this afternoon at the border
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