Six Dead and Five Injured in ‘Deliberate’ Swiss Bus Fire

A bus fire in Switzerland has resulted in six fatalities and five injuries, with authorities suggesting the incident may have been intentional. The blaze occurred in Kerzers, a town located in the western canton of Fribourg, around 6:25 p.m. on Tuesday. Details about the victims’ identities are still pending.

Emergency services reported that five individuals were hospitalized, including an responder, with three in critical condition. The fire completely consumed the bus, leaving it engulfed in flames. Officials have not confirmed the exact number of passengers present at the time of the incident, though it remains unclear if others were affected beyond the identified casualties.

“A person is suspected to have caused the fire,” stated a Fribourg police spokeswoman at a press briefing. She noted that while information indicates someone poured petrol over themselves, the cause has not been definitively proven.

Witnesses, including a video shared with Swiss newspaper Blick, described a man inside the bus “pouring out petrol and setting himself alight.” This account was supported by additional eyewitnesses, according to the report. Another police representative added that the fire could have been “deliberately” initiated, though they declined to disclose whether the accused is among the injured or deceased.

“It distresses and saddens me that yet more people in Switzerland have lost their lives in a serious fire,” said Swiss President Guy Parmelin on X. He expressed condolences to the families of the victims in Kerzers and extended his thoughts to those injured and the emergency personnel involved.

The incident follows a similar tragedy in the Swiss mountain resort of Crans-Montana, where a bar fire on January 1st killed 41 people and injured 115 others. Most of the deceased were teenagers, with several foreign nationals—primarily from France and Italy—among the victims. Schweizerische Post, the bus operator, released a statement to Der Bund: “Our thoughts are with the injured and the families of the deceased.”