By Dave Graham and Olivia Le Poidevin
KERZERS, Switzerland, March 11 (Reuters) – At least six people died and three were injured in a bus fire in western Switzerland in what police said may have been a deliberate act with one media outlet reporting that a person set fire to themself.
Police said the bus became engulfed in flames on Tuesday evening 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,” said Frederic Papaux, a spokesperson for Fribourg police.
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,” Romain Collaud, a local politician in Fribourg, told the Swiss-French broadcaster RTS.
Three injured people were taken to hospital, police said. Two others caught 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.
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.”
CHARRED REMAINS OF BUS
Video after the flames were extinguished showed the charred remains of the yellow vehicle.
Mina Gendre was about to close up the shop she works in when she saw the bus that had stopped unexpectedly across the road had a small fire inside. Within half a minute or so, it burst into flames, she said.
“It was so shocking,” said Gendre. “I saw someone come running out of the bus on fire.”
With smoke billowing out of the bus, Gendre shut the door of the shop to protect it as bystanders helped put out the fire on the person with a jacket, she said.
The identification of the six people who died could take several days, Collaud said, adding it was not known if the person suspected of starting the fire was among the victims.
The head of the bus company Postauto, Stefan Regli, said it was a terrible tragedy and extended his condolences.
“All Postauto and Swiss Post employees, like myself, are shocked and deeply saddened,” Regli said in a statement.
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.
(Reporting by Dave Graham in Kerzers, Olivia Le Poidevin in Geneva; additional reporting by Cecile Mantovani; Editing by Neil Fullick, Lincoln Feast and Michael Perry)
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