Police say identifying the six victims killed in a suspected deliberate bus fire could take several days, as forensic teams work to confirm their identities after a man allegedly set himself alight
The identification of the six victims found dead after a devastating bus fire is expected to take “several days”, local police have confirmed as they released a new shocking image of the charred vehicle. The fire, which broke out on Tuesday evening (March 3), is now being treated as a possible “deliberate act”.
Six people died and five were left severely injured after a man “doused himself in petrol and set himself on fire” on a bus in Kerzers, Fribourg, Switzerland. According to the latest reports, the identification of the six victims could take several days.
Moreover, “the necessary forensic work is underway”, a spokesperson for the Fribourg cantonal police said.
The police are unable to say with certainty how long the identification process will take, Martial Pugin, head of Communications and Prevention for the Fribourg cantonal police, told Keystone-ATS early Wednesday morning (March 11). Four passengers and a paramedic were also injured in the fire, Swiss broadcaster RTS reported.
While their identities were confirmed on Tuesday evening, Pugin told local media he could not yet provide additional details, such as the age or gender of those affected. He further told RTS that “the main line of inquiry is currently a deliberate act”, adding that “at this stage, there is no evidence pointing to a terrorist motive”.
He added that “checks and investigations are ongoing”, including interviewing witnesses to determine the exact circumstances of the tragedy. Pugin also reportedly noted that questions regarding the suspected perpetrator remain under investigation and verification.
“We cannot confirm anything at this stage,” he said. Nevertheless, Pugin revealed that three people were hospitalised, two of them in serious condition.
Of those, “the third person hospitalised was able to return home during the night”. Two other people were examined at the scene, he added.
Earlier, Frédéric Papaux, spokesperson for the Fribourg cantonal police, also mentioned the likelihood of a deliberate act. He said: “People near and on the bus spoke of someone who appeared to have acted intentionally with an incendiary device.”
Papaux also stressed “the exact circumstances remain unclear” and emphasised that the investigation will have to determine the causes of the incident. On Tuesday at around 6:25pm, the Command and Alarm Centre of the Cantonal Police was notified of a fire on a postal bus in Kerzers, on Murtenstrasse, Fribourg police stated in an official release.
Emergency services were dispatched to the scene and found the vehicle fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters carried out rescue and extinguishing operations, and a security perimeter was established.
Medical teams, including several ambulances and a REGA helicopter, attended to three injured people and transported them to hospital. Two other victims were examined at the scene and did not require hospitalisation.
Several people were found dead, though the exact number has not yet been confirmed by police. However, RTS has reported that there are at least six victims.
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