6 killed, 3 hospitalized in Switzerland bus fire that may have been “deliberate,” police say
A fire on a bus in Switzerland killed at least six people and left three others hospitalized with serious injuries, police said Tuesday.
Police spokesman Frédéric Papaux, from the canton or region of Fribourg, said the fire broke out on a bus on Tuesday evening in the town of Kerzers, about 24 km west of the Swiss capital Bern.
“At this stage we have evidence suggesting a deliberate act on the part of a person who was inside the bus,” Papaux said at a press conference, according to the Reuters news agency.
Police would not comment on why they believe the fire could have been deliberately started. The Friborg police indicated in a press release that a criminal investigation had been opened by the public prosecutor “in order to determine the exact circumstances of the tragedy”.
Authorities said they could not immediately confirm reports that a person had doused themselves in gasoline, CBS News partner BBC News reported.
Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP 
Images from the scene broadcast by Swiss media showed flames crossing the bus.
“After rushing to the scene, the rescue teams found that the vehicle was completely engulfed in flames,” the regional government said in a statement.
Ambulance and helicopter crews transported three seriously injured people to hospitals, while two others were treated at the scene, police said.
The regional transport bus is operated by CarPostal, affiliated with the National Post Office.
