By Dave Graham and Olivia Le Poidevin
KERZERS, Switzerland, March 11 (Reuters) – Six folks died and 5 had been injured in a bus fire in Switzerland that police suspect was attributable to a man who set himself ablaze, although there was no indication it was an act of terrorism.
Swiss authorities mentioned on Wednesday the suspected perpetrator, a 65-year-old Swiss man who one official described as “disturbed,” was among the many lifeless, and had earlier been reported lacking by his household.
The bus was engulfed in flames on Tuesday night on a street close to the centre of Kerzers, a city of about 5,000 inhabitants in the western canton of Fribourg, about 20 km (12 miles) from the Swiss capital Bern, police mentioned.
“As for the motive, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that this could be a terrorist act,” Raphael Bourquin, Fribourg’s lawyer common, instructed a press convention.
A legal investigation has been opened into suspected murder, arson, and endangering the lives of others, Bourquin mentioned.
The six lifeless had been formally recognized and aside from the 63-year-old bus driver who was Portuguese, all of them had been Swiss. They included two ladies, 25 and 39, and two males aged 16 and 29, police mentioned.
PANICKED PASSENGERS SEEN ESCAPING
The suspect is believed to have boarded the bus with baggage earlier than dousing himself in flammable materials and beginning the blaze, officers mentioned.
Investigators had been going by means of CCTV footage in addition to social media posts to perceive the man’s motives, and mentioned additional searches and interviews would happen.
Passengers had been seen escaping from the burning bus, panicked and injured. Video after the flames had been extinguished confirmed the charred stays of the yellow car.
Zeynel Teke, 61, was working at his meals stall when flames erupted from the bus and it stopped in entrance of him.
Two or three folks got here out of the car, and Teke ran to assist, utilizing his hand to put out flames on one lady. He went to get his fire extinguisher however the flames had been too scorching to get shut sufficient to douse them.
“It’s so sad to see people burning in front of your eyes. It could be my child, it could be yours,” he mentioned.
Two of the injured folks stay in hospital, a 56‑yr‑previous lady and a 34‑yr‑previous man, police mentioned.
WITNESSES DESCRIBE HORROR
Mina Gendre was about to shut up the store she works in when she noticed the bus was ablaze inside. “It was so shocking,” mentioned Gendre. “I saw someone come running out of the bus on fire.”
One video of the fire circulating amongst Kerzers’ residents confirmed what appeared to be a physique in flames transferring on the bottom subsequent to the burning bus.
Nirosan Vickneswaran, 37, was ready anxiously for information of his cousin who was on the bus.
“We don’t know if he’s injured or worse,” he mentioned. “All we know is that somebody set fire to themself.”
A memorial was shortly erected subsequent to the location of the blaze.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin provided condolences and mentioned on X: “It shocks and saddens me that once again people have lost their lives in a serious fire in Switzerland.”
In January, Switzerland was rocked by a fire in a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana that killed 41 folks and injured 115.
Parmelin laid flowers in Kerzers with native officers on Wednesday afternoon and paid tribute to rescue staff who battled the blaze.
(Reporting by Dave Graham in Kerzers, Olivia Le Poidevin in Geneva; further reporting by Cecile Mantovani; Editing by Alex Richardson, Andrew Cawthorne and Lincoln Feast.)
