Footage of the moment a car travelling at speed was sent flying in the air before exploding at a US-Canada border checkpoint has been released by authorities.

The incident at Rainbow Bridge caused closures to other US and Canada borders today (November 22) after initial reports suggested the incident was terror-related.

It his since been confirmed that the crash, which killed two inside the vehicle, shows no indication of a terrorist attack.

READ MORE: Niagara Falls explosion: Two dead as car crashes into US-Canada border checkpoint

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The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has since posted footage of the moment the car was seen driving at speed before appearing to hit the kerb nearby.

The car can be seen, still in mid-air, at the top right of this image
The shocking incident occurred on the US side of the border

The CBP said on X: "CBP is working closely with FBI , federal, state & local partners in response to a vehicle explosion at Rainbow Bridge which remains closed. Out of abundance of caution, CBP temporarily suspended inbound/outbound traffic at 3 other Buffalo crossings that have since reopened."

The vehicle was speeding toward a US-Canada bridge from the American side before it crashed and exploded at a checkpoint

The car can be seen, still in mid-air, at the top right of this image
The car can be seen, still in mid-air, at the top right of this image

Much remained unclear about the crash, which investigators were working to understand. Hochul said it wasn't clear whether the driver was intentionally heading for the Rainbow Bridge across the Niagara River when the vehicle hit a median and flew into the air.

"Based on what we know at this moment," she said, "there is no sign of terrorist activity in this crash."

It prompted the closing of four border crossings and raised concerns on both sides. The White House said President Joe Biden was "closely following developments," and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said officials were "taking this extraordinarily seriously."

Debris visible at the scene
Debris visible at the scene

"This is obviously a very serious situation in Niagara Falls," Trudeau said in Parliament before excusing himself from Question Period in the House of Commons to be briefed further.

The two deceased people were in the vehicle, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorised to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Photos and video taken by bystanders and posted on social media showed thick smoke, flames on the pavement and a security booth that had been singed.

All land crossing at the US-Canada border were closed
All land crossings at the US-Canada border were closed

Speaking to WGRZ-TV, witness Mike Guenther said he saw a vehicle speeding toward the crossing from the US side when it swerved to avoid another car, crashed into a fence and exploded.

"All of a sudden, he went up in the air and then it was a ball of fire like 30 or 40 feet high," Guenther told the station. "I never saw anything like it."

The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission called the incident "a serious car crash".

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