At least six people have been killed in a bus fire in Switzerland after a passenger reportedly set themselves alight.
Three people were injured in the incident in the town of Kerzers with footage shared on social media showing the vehicle engulfed in flames.
The vehicle was travelling in the canton of Fribourg, which is around 12 miles from the country’s capital of Bern.
“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.
It is too early to tell whether the incident is terror-related, said Christa Bielmann, another local police spokesperson, while local authorities said there is no indication or evidence that terrorism is involved.
Investigators are looking into reports that a person on board the bus had poured fuel on themselves, Bielmann added.
“We have no indication that suggests we might be dealing with a terrorist attack,” Swiss state councillor Romain Collaud told the Swiss-French broadcaster RTS on Wednesday morning, adding that investigations remain ongoing.
Three people were injured and taken to hospital and two others caught up in the blaze were examined at the scene but did not need to be hospitalised.
Two of the injured remain in a serious condition in hospital while the third was able to return home.
Collaud confirmed that the bus was not electric but one “with a combustion engine”. The bus belonged to the company, Postauto, with local media reporting it was a postal bus.
In Switzerland, postal bus services are a public bus service that operate as part of local mail delivery system as well as providing public transport.
On Tuesday evening passengers were seen escaping from the burning bus, panicked and injured, Papaux said, adding that no other vehicle was involved.
Swiss media outlet 20 Minuten 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.”
Video after the flames were extinguished showed the charred remains of the vehicle, a yellow so-called Postauto.
The identification of the six people who died could take several days, MCollaud said, adding it is not known if the person suspected of starting the fire was among the victims.
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.
Switzerland’s parliament commemorated the fire victims at the start of their session as the National Council and Council of States rose for a minute of silence on Wednesday.
“We learned with great dismay of the fire involving a postal bus in Kerzers in the canton of Fribourg. This tragic event is shaking not only a region, a canton, but far beyond,” said Fribourg National Council President Pierre-André Page (SVP).
“On behalf of the National Council and in my own name, I would like to express our sympathy and sincere condolences to the families and relatives of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
In the Council of States, President Stefan Engler spoke of an incomprehensible fire. “Out of nowhere, an everyday situation takes an unimaginable turn, perhaps on the way home from work or school.”
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.
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