Six die in Swiss bus hearth after man thought to have set himself alight | Police Information

Fribourg canton’s public prosecutor Raphael Bourquin mentioned the person allegedly accountable for the hearth possible died.

Not less than six individuals have died after a bus hearth that authorities say might have been attributable to a person who set himself on hearth in a small Swiss city.

The incident, which additionally injured 5 individuals, occurred on Tuesday close to the centre of Kerzers, a city within the western canton of Fribourg, about 12 miles (20km) from the capital Bern, police mentioned.

In accordance with Fribourg canton’s public prosecutor Raphael Bourquin, the person allegedly accountable for the hearth was possible amongst those that died .

“A witness assertion indicated {that a} man … of Swiss origin boarded the bus carrying luggage. Sooner or later, he doused himself with a flammable substance and set himself alight,” Bourquin instructed a information convention on Wednesday.

“There’s completely no proof to counsel that this may very well be a terrorist act,” he mentioned, including that the household of the person, who was from Bern canton and in his sixties, had not too long ago “reported his disappearance”, and “present proof describes him as a marginalised and disturbed particular person”.

In accordance with Swiss authorities, the victims of the blaze had been aged between 17 and 65.

In an announcement, the cantonal police mentioned three of the injured had been taken to hospitals whereas two had been handled on the scene. Two of these admitted to hospital remained within the hospital on Wednesday, whereas one was discharged on Tuesday.

In accordance with the primary findings of the police investigation, the assertion mentioned, an individual boarded the bus within the close by city of Duedingen at round 5.45 pm CET (16:45 GMT) and later set himself on hearth in Kerzers at about 6.25 pm native time, inflicting the blaze to unfold all through the automobile.

Police mentioned preliminary hearings and witness testimony point out that the incident was “a voluntary act with out ideological motivation.”

Swiss President Man Parmelin wrote on X on Tuesday evening that the hearth “distresses and saddens” him.

“The circumstances are being investigated. To the kinfolk of the deceased from Kerzers, I prolong my condolences. And I consider the injured and the rescue staff,” he mentioned.

Zeynel Teke, 61, who was working at his meals stall reverse the bus when it was engulfed in flames, mentioned that whereas he went to get his hearth extinguisher to place out the flames, it was too scorching to get shut sufficient.

“It’s so unhappy to see individuals burning in entrance of your eyes. It may very well be my youngster, it may very well be yours,” he instructed the Reuters information company.

Officers defined that investigators had been reviewing social media footage and CCTV to know the motives behind the person’s actions, and that interviews had been anticipated to happen.

A hotline has additionally been opened for witnesses to come back ahead, and Fribourg police mentioned that public prosecutors had opened a prison investigation.

The incident is the second time this 12 months {that a} hearth has killed many individuals, after a blaze in a bar within the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana killed 41 individuals and injured 115 others in January.