Six die in Swiss bus fire after man thought to have set himself alight

Fribourg canton’s public prosecutor Raphael Bourquin said the man allegedly responsible for the fire likely died.Published On 11 Mar 2026At least six people have died after a bus fire that authorities say may have been caused by a man who set himself on fire in a small Swiss town.The incident, which also injured five people, took place on Tuesday near the centre of Kerzers, a town in the western canton of Fribourg, about 12 miles (20km) from the capital Bern, police said.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 312 days: How 2025 Iran blueprint trapped US, Israel in longer warlist 2 of 3Not ‘a litre of oil’ to pass Strait of Hormuz, expect $200 price tag: Iranlist 3 of 3UN warns of widening crisis as Israeli attacks displace 750,000 in Lebanonend of listAccording to Fribourg canton’s public prosecutor Raphael Bourquin, the man allegedly responsible for the fire was likely among those who died .“A witness statement indicated that a man … of Swiss origin boarded the bus carrying bags. At some point, he doused himself with a flammable substance and set himself alight,” Bourquin told a news conference on Wednesday.“There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that this could be a terrorist act,” he said, adding that the family of the man, who was from Bern canton and in his sixties, had recently “reported his disappearance”, and “current evidence describes him as a marginalised and disturbed individual”.According to Swiss authorities, the victims of the blaze were aged between 17 and 65.In a statement, the cantonal police said three of the injured were taken to hospitals while two were treated at the scene. Two of those admitted to hospital remained in the hospital on Wednesday, while one was discharged on Tuesday.According to the first findings of the police investigation, the statement said, a person boarded the bus in the nearby town of Duedingen at around 5.45 pm CET (16:45 GMT) and later set himself on fire in Kerzers at about 6.25 pm local time, causing the blaze to spread throughout the vehicle.