The Japan Times - Man set himself alight in fatal Swiss bus fire: prosecutor

The blaze happened on Tuesday evening in the small town of Kerzers, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) west of the capital Bern.

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

"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," Fribourg canton's public prosecutor Raphael Bourquin told a press conference.

He said 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".

"There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that this could be a terrorist act," he said, adding that "it appears that this person is among the deceased".

Fribourg police chief Philippe Allain said detectives were trying to work out who got on and off the bus along its route from the nearby town of Dudingen, to pinpoint how many people were on board at the time.

The potential victims were born between 1961 and 2009, he said.

- Two still in hospital -

Besides those killed, the fire injured five people. Three people were taken to hospital; two are in a serious condition and the other has since returned home.

Two other people were treated at the scene by emergency responders.

Several ambulances and a helicopter were sent to the scene, with investigators working late into the night, and three injured people were taken to hospital.

Before dawn on Wednesday, the charred shell of the bus had been removed from the road, leaving a few traces of melted tar on the ground and a faint smell of burning in the air.

A hotline has been opened for witnesses to come forward, as authorities try to determine the exact circumstances of the fire.

Fribourg police said a criminal investigation had been opened by public prosecutors.

- 'Terrible tragedy' -

It is the second major multiple-casualty fire in Switzerland in less than three months.

In the early hours of January 1, 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.

"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 also carrying letters and parcels.

They are used by around half a million people every day, notably schoolchildren.

PostBus chief executive Stefan Regli called it a "terrible tragedy" and said their employees were "shocked".

T.Sasaki--JT