Explosion near US-Canada border claims 2 lives: US media

• The Rainbow Bridge connects Canada to New York.
• White House closely monitoring explosion incident.
• Canadian PM Trudeau calls the situation very serious.

As many as two people were killed after a vehicle exploded at the Rainbow Bridge — near the US-Canada border — Wednesday as it was heading toward a checkpoint, according to the media reports.  

The vehicle was coming from the Canadian side and exploded after approaching a secondary search point.

The Rainbow Bridge connects Canada to New York. Authorities have not yet ascertained the cause of the explosion. 

Currently, the US authorities are at the scene including the FBI and US Customs and Border Protection.

According to officials, the White House is closely monitoring the Rainbow Bridge incident that took place near Niagara Falls.

The White House said that President Joe Biden had been briefed.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told parliament that "this is obviously a very serious situation" and he announced the closure of four crossings.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said state police and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force were monitoring all points of entry into the state.

The reports suggested that there were two people in the car, which had passed through one border checkpoint where it was selected for a secondary check.

The car then sped up, crashed into a barrier and exploded, reports said citing sources.

The incident came on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest days for travel on the US holiday calendar when millions of Americans take to the roads and skies.

Rainbow Bridge — among the busiest crossings between Canada and the United States — has 16 vehicle lanes and is normally open around the clock, according to US Customs and Border Protection.