What could cause a routine bus ride to turn into a deadly inferno?
Authorities in Kerzers are piecing together that chilling question after a bus fire killed six people on Tuesday evening.
Investigators now believe the blaze began when a troubled passenger set himself on fire while inside the vehicle.
According to Raphael Bourquin, a witness reported seeing a man—described as a Swiss national in his sixties—board the bus carrying bags.
Moments later, he allegedly poured a flammable liquid over himself and ignited it.
“He doused himself with a flammable substance and set himself alight,” Bourquin told reporters.
Evidence suggests the man—reported missing by his family—was a “marginalised and disturbed individual.” Officials believe he is among the victims.
The bus had been travelling from Düdingen toward Kerzers when the fire broke out.
Deadly Bus Fire
Dramatic videos circulating online showed flames shooting several metres out of the bus windows while thick black smoke billowed into the sky.
Police chief Philippe Allain said investigators are still reconstructing who boarded and exited along the route. Victims ranged in age from 15 to 64.
Five others were injured, including two in serious condition.
For now, officials stress one point clearly: there is no evidence of terrorism.
Just a tragic chain of events that turned an ordinary commute into an unimaginable disaster.
