Six dead and five injured in Swiss bus fire which police say may have been deliberate act

Firemen work outside a blocked off area in front of a bus that caught fire, leaving six people dead and five injured, in the town of Kerzers, western Switzerland. Photo / Fabrice Coffrini,AFP

A bus caught fire in western Switzerland today, killing at least six people and injuring five others in what police said may have been a deliberate act.

The fire broke out on the bus in the main street of the small town of Kerzers, around 20km west of the Swiss capital Bern, at about 6.25pm local time.

Videos circulating on social media showed flames several metres high bursting out from the windows, and black smoke rising into the sky.

The fire “left at least six dead and five injured, three of them seriously”, Fribourg cantonal police sergeant Frederic Papaux told AFP.

“The police are currently treating the fire as a man-made incident, and even a deliberate act,” he said, without providing further details.

At a press conference, police would not be drawn on potential hypotheses including suicide or an act of terror.

In a statement, Fribourg police said a criminal investigation had been opened by public prosecutors “to determine the exact circumstances of the tragedy”.

The burned-out shell of the bus was screened off behind white tarpaulins set up across the road, an AFP journalist saw.

The scene was cordoned off, with police standing guard at the tape. Firefighters and fire trucks were also present.

“Emergency services rushed to the scene and found the vehicle completely engulfed in flames. Firefighters carried out rescue and extinguishing operations. A security perimeter was set up,” the police statement said.

Several ambulances and a helicopter were sent to the scene and three injured people were taken to hospital.

Two other people were examined on site but did not need hospital treatment.

Police said recovery and security operations were ongoing and appealed to the public to stay away from the area.

-Agence France-Presse