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AT LEAST SIX people have been killed after a bus caught fire in western Switzerland.
Five others were injured in the incident, which police have said may have been started deliberately.
The fire broke out on the bus in the main street of the small town of Kerzers, around 20 kilometres west of the Swiss capital Bern, at about 6.25pm (5.25pm Irish 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 spokesman 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.
“There were no other vehicles involved – only the bus. And that bus caught fire… we are currently trying to determine the precise reason why this happened,” Papaux told reporters.
He could not say how many people were on the bus at the time, adding that panicked and injured passengers were getting out when first responders arrived.
“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,” a 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.
A hotline has been opened for witnesses to come forward, as the authorities try to determine the exact circumstances of the fire.
Fribourg police said a criminal investigation had been opened by public prosecutors.
“At this time, we know the identities of the injured. If the appeal for witnesses leads us to identify others, it will allow us to move forward with the investigation,” said Papaux.
“As for the on-site investigation, it will require several hours of work. You may have seen the state the bus is in.”
The burnt-out shell of the bus was screened off behind white tarpaulins set up across the road. The scene was cordoned off, with police standing guard at the tape. Firefighters and fire trucks were also present.
Police have appealed to the general public to stay away from the area.
It is the second major multiple-casualty fire in Switzerland in less than three months.
In the early hours of 1 January, a bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana caught fire as people celebrated the New Year. A total of 41 people died, with another 115 injured.
“I am shocked and saddened that people in Switzerland have once again lost their lives in a serious fire,” Swiss President Guy Parmelin said on X.
“The circumstances are being investigated. I would like to express my condolences to the families of those who died in Kerzers. My thoughts are also with the injured and the emergency services.”
The bus involved was a PostBus, a feature of Swiss rural life.
The distinctive yellow buses serve more remote areas, connecting them with towns, while carrying letters and parcels.
They are used by around half a million people every day, notably schoolchildren.
“This tragic news deeply affects us all. Our thoughts are with the injured and the families of the deceased. A psychological support team will be available to staff” from today, PostBus said, according to Switzerland’s Keystone-ATS news agency.
With reporting from © AFP 2026
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