Deadly Swiss bus fire started by 'disturbed' man, says prosecutor
The family of the man suspected of setting himself on fire, who was in his sixties and lived in Bern, had "reported his disappearance", and "current evidence describes him as a marginalised and disturbed individual," added Bourquin.
A view of the main street of the small town of Kerzers in Switzerland, where a bus caught fire, killing at least six people and injuring five others in what police said may have been a deliberate act. (AFP)
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FRIBOURG – A blaze on a Swiss bus that killed six people may have been started by a "disturbed" man who set himself alight, a public prosecutor said Wednesday.
"A witness statement indicated that a man... of Swiss origin boarded the bus carrying bags. At some point, he doused himself with a flammable substance and set himself alight," prosecutor Raphael Bourquin told a press conference.
"There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that this could be a terrorist act," he said, adding that "it appears that this person is among the deceased".
The blaze happened on Tuesday evening in the small town of Kerzers, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) west of the Swiss capital Bern.
The family of the man suspected of setting himself on fire, who was in his sixties and lived in Bern, had "reported his disappearance", and "current evidence describes him as a marginalised and disturbed individual," added Bourquin.
Besides those killed, the fire injured five people, two of them seriously, according to the police. One of the three people taken to the hospital has since returned home, and two other were treated at the scene.