Car blast near Niagara Falls shuts down US-Canada crossing, kills 2

A car erupted into a fireball at a US-Canada checkpoint near Niagara Falls on Wednesday, killing the two occupants, triggering border closures and sparking a massive security alert on the eve of a major holiday.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul confirmed the two fatalities in the blast at the checkpoint 400 miles northwest of New York City and said nothing pointed to a "terrorist" attack.

The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed and was closely following developments. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a vehicle explosion at a Canada-US border crossing represents "a very serious situation."