By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA, March 10 (Reuters) – At least six people died in a bus fire on Tuesday in a small town in western Switzerland, prompting the police to launch a criminal investigation.
Fribourg city police said the bus became engulfed in flames on a road in Kerzers, a town in the canton of Fribourg, about 20 km (12 miles) from the Swiss capital, Bern.
“At this stage, we have elements suggesting a deliberate act by a person who was inside the bus,” said Frederic Papaux, a spokesperson for Fribourg police.
Three injured people were taken to hospital, the police added.
Passengers were seen escaping from the burning bus, panicked and injured, Papaux said, adding that no other vehicle was involved.
Video after the flames were extinguished showed the charred remains of the vehicle.
When asked about unverified social media reports that an individual on the bus had poured gasoline on themselves, Papaux said he could not confirm whether gasoline was used or how the fire had started.
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.
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.
(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin; Editing by Neil Fullick)
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