Swiss bus blaze kills six as man ‘set fire to himself’

Six people died and three others were injured in a bus fire in a small Swiss town that is believed to have started when a man on the bus set himself on fire, authorities said.

Swiss investigators said they saw no evidence that the man, whom one official described as “disturbed” and who was likely among the dead, intended to carry out any kind of terrorist attack.

Police said the bus burst into flames on Tuesday evening on a road in the town of Kerzers, a town of about 5,000 people in the western canton of Fribourg, about 20 kilometers from the Swiss capital Bern.

“As for the justification, there is absolutely no evidence that this could have been an act of terrorism,” said Raphael Bourquin, chief prosecutor of the canton of Fribourg.

Bourquin said a criminal investigation has been launched into murder, arson and endangering the lives of others.

Authorities said the victims ranged in age from 17 to 65.

Authorities said that the unidentified Swiss origin suspect was thought to have doused himself with flammable material after boarding the bus with bags.

They added that he was understood to be in his 60s and that his family had reported him missing.

Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage as well as social media posts to understand the man’s motives, and further searches and interviews will be conducted, authorities said.

Police reported that 3 injured people were taken to hospital.

Panicked and injured passengers were seen running away from the burning bus.

The video taken after the flames were extinguished shows the burnt remains of the yellow vehicle.

61-year-old Zeynel Teke was working at the food stall opposite, when flames broke out from the bus and the bus stopped in front of her.

When two or three people got out of the vehicle, he ran to help and extinguished the flames on a woman with his hand.

He went to grab the fire extinguisher, but the flames were too hot for him to get close enough to extinguish them.

“It’s very sad to see people burn in front of your eyes. This could be my child or it could be yours,” he said.

While Mina Gendre was about to close the shop where she worked, she saw a fire inside the bus that stopped unexpectedly across the road.

“It was very shocking,” Gendre said.

“I saw someone running out of the bus in flames.”

Gendre said that the surrounding people closed the door of the shop to protect themselves while they helped extinguish the fire on the person in the jacket.

Vanessa Liuzzi, 37, another resident who left flowers at the scene, said the story going around was that someone had set themselves on fire.

“I’m shocked, I’m sad, I’m in despair,” he said.

Nirosan Vickneswaran, 37, was anxiously waiting for news of his cousin on the bus.

“We don’t know if he’s injured or worse,” he said.

“All we know is that someone set themselves on fire.”

A monument was being erected in the village square.

Stefan Regli, president of bus company Postauto, expressed his condolences, saying this was a terrible tragedy.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin expressed 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 on X.

In January, Switzerland was shaken by a fire that broke out in a bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort, killing 41 people and injuring 115 people.