Six dead and several injured 'as man douses himself in petrol and sets himself alight' on bus in Switzerland

Authorities in the Fribourg canton, or region, said in a statement that an unspecified "voluntary act could be the cause" of the fire on Tuesday evening in the town of Kerzers, about 25 kilometres (15 miles) west of Bern, the capital.

"After rushing to the scene, rescue teams noted that the vehicle was totally engulfed in flames," the regional government said in a statement.

Several witnesses have claimed that the fire was started when a man inside the bus "poured out petrol and set himself alight", according to Swiss newspaper Blick.

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A spokesperson for Fribourg police said that the fire could have been an "arsonistic act", adding they had "information that a person is the cause of the fire".

She told a press conference that she could not confirm whether someone had poured petrol over themselves.

Ambulance and helicopter teams ferried three injured people to hospitals, while two others were treated on site.

An investigation is underway.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin said in a post on X: "It distresses and saddens me that yet more people in Switzerland have lost their lives in a serious fire.

"The background is being clarified. To the relatives of the deceased from Kerzers, I extend my condolences. And I think of the injured & the emergency services."

Schweizerische Post, the company operating the bus, said in a statement to Swiss paper Der Bund: "Our thoughts are with the injured and the families of the deceased."