Six killed in Swiss bus fire after suspected self-immolation

Five others were injured after a blaze destroyed a postal bus, as police investigate a suspected deliberate act.

Six people have been killed and five others injured after a bus fire in western Switzerland, which police say may have been a deliberate act, according to media reports, citing Fribourg cantonal police.

The blaze erupted on a regional postal bus in Kerzers, Switzerland on Tuesday, and completely destroyed the vehicle.

Police spokesman Frederic Papaux told reporters that investigators are examining whether the fire was the result of a “voluntary act.”

“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.

Another police spokesperson said the authorities received reports that a person may have poured petrol on themselves and set themselves on fire, though officials said this has not been confirmed.

Swiss media outlet 20 Minutes reported that it obtained a video recorded at the scene in which an injured person reportedly said: “A man set himself on fire. He poured gasoline over himself and then lit himself.”

Ambulances and helicopters transported several victims with severe injuries to hospitals; others were treated at the scene.

The authorities said the bus was operated by PostBus, a regional transport service affiliated with Switzerland’s national postal system.

Officials have not yet identified the victims, and police said the circumstances of the fire remain under investigation. They also declined to comment on whether the incident was linked to terrorism, saying it is too early to determine the motive.