Six people died and three others were injured after a bus caught fire Tuesday evening in Kerzers, Fribourg. Authorities say the blaze may have been started deliberately by a man on the bus who set himself on fire.
The fire broke out around 6:25 p.m., about 20 km (12 miles) from Bern. Passengers ran from the burning vehicle. Three injured people were taken to hospital, while two others were treated at the scene.
“At this stage, we have elements suggesting a deliberate act by a person who was inside the bus,” Fribourg police spokesperson Frederic Papaux said.
Christa Bielmann, another police spokesperson, said investigators were looking into reports that someone poured fuel on themselves. “It is too early to say whether the incident was terror-related,” she added.
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A witness recorded by local media said: “A man set himself on fire. He poured gasoline over himself and then lit himself.”
Mina Gendre, a shop worker nearby, said: “It was so shocking. I saw someone come running out of the bus on fire. Smoke was everywhere, and bystanders helped put out the flames with a jacket.”
Authorities have cordoned off the site. The identities of the victims have not been released, and it may take days to determine if the suspected man is among the dead, local politician Romain Collaud said.
The tragedy comes months after a deadly fire at a Swiss ski resort on New Year’s Eve, which claimed dozens of lives and left many others injured.
Stefan Regli, head of the bus company Postauto, called the fire a “terrible tragedy.” Swiss President Guy Parmelin offered condolences on X, saying, “It shocks and saddens me that once again people have lost their lives in a serious fire in Switzerland.”