Six dead and five injured in burning bus in Switzerland: what happened?

Illustratiebeeld van ©Zara Lazarov via Unsplash

A bus traveling through the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland caught fire in the center of Kerzers. This killed at least six people and injured five others, three of whom are in critical condition.

The alarm went off around 6:25 p.m. last night, when the cantonal police control room received the first reports. The bus was traveling on the line between Düdingen and Kerzers, some 20 kilometers west of Bern. When the emergency services arrived at the scene, the vehicle was already completely ablaze. Inside the bus, the bodies of the victims were found. Among the injured were four passengers and an emergency worker from the medical service, who participated in the initial rescue operation.

Testimony: 'A man poured gasoline over himself'

In the hours following the tragedy, several eyewitness accounts surfaced that could shed more light on the origins of the fire. Several witnesses, quoted by local media, state that they saw a man perform a desperate act. A video published by Swiss newspaper Blick shows a man with a face blackened by smoke describing the scene.

According to his account, a passenger allegedly doused himself with gasoline and then set himself on fire on the bus. Other witnesses in the area also reported similar events. However, authorities urge caution: police have not yet officially confirmed this version of events.

The investigation and questions surrounding the cause

Cantonal police have launched a large-scale investigation to reconstruct exactly what happened. For now, investigators are speaking of one person involved, but they stress that the information available is still very preliminary. Agents are looking for additional witnesses and have asked the public to avoid the disaster area, which has also been completely cordoned off to allow for the investigation and relief efforts.

Based on the authorities' initial assessments, at this time, it's impossible to determine whether the incident was due to human error, an intentional act or some other kind of event. Nor can current information confirm or rule out a possible terrorist attack.

Identification of victims and ongoing operations

Emergency operations have continued throughout the night. Investigators are working to identify the six victims, a process that may take several days due to the condition in which the bodies were found. Meanwhile, four people remain missing, although it's unclear whether they're among the victims of the fire.

Authorities have also opened a special helpline for relatives of those affected and announced a press conference with more information later in the day. Meanwhile, the entire local community is deeply shaken by a tragedy that has turned an everyday bus ride into a sudden, still unexplained tragedy.

(©GreenMe.it 2026 / Managing Editor: Julie Morgan - The Press Junction / Picture: Illustration image by ©Zara Lazarov via Unsplash)