Six killed in Swiss bus blaze after person reportedly sets themselves on fire

At least six people died and three others were injured in a bus fire on Tuesday in a small town in western Switzerland, in what police said may have been a deliberate act following reports that a person on board set fire to themselves.

Police said the bus became engulfed in ‌flames on a ⁠road ⁠in Kerzers, a town in the canton of Fribourg, about 20 km (12 miles) from the Swiss capital Bern.

"At this stage, we have elements suggesting a deliberate act by a person who was inside the bus," Frederic Papaux, a spokesperson for Fribourg police, said.


Investigators were looking into reports that a person had poured fuel on themselves, said Christa Bielmann, another local police spokesperson. It was too early to say whether the incident was terror-related, she told a news conference.

"We have no indication that suggests we might be dealing with a terrorist ⁠attack," Swiss ‌politician Romain Collaud, a state councillor, told the Swiss-French broadcaster RTS on Wednesday morning, adding that investigations are ongoing.

Three injured people were taken to hospital, police said. Two other people caught ⁠up in the blaze also received attention but did not need to be hospitalised.

On Tuesday evening passengers were seen escaping from the burning bus, panicked and injured, Papaux said, adding that no other vehicle was involved.

Swiss media outlet 20 Minutes said it had seen a video taken at the scene in which an injured person said: "A man set himself on fire. He poured gasoline over himself and then lit himself."

Video after the flames were extinguished showed the charred remains of the vehicle, a yellow so-called Postauto.

The identification of the six people who died could ‌take several days, Collaud said, adding it is not known if the person suspected of starting the fire was among the victims.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin offered his condolences and said the incident was being investigated.

"It shocks and ⁠saddens me that once again people have lost their lives in a serious fire in Switzerland," he said in a statement on X, noting investigations were under way.

In January, Switzerland was rocked by a fire in a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana that killed 41 people and injured 115.

"The wounds from Crans-Montana are still fresh, fuelling strong reactions today," Collaud said. "These are clearly events no one wants to experience, or relive. Yet they seem part of everyday life now, happening more frequently in Switzerland and worldwide, which is unfortunate," he told RTS.