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Six killed in Switzerland bus fire

Three others have been taken to hospital with severe injures, police said.

By contributor Associated Press Reporters
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Supporting image for story: Six killed in Switzerland bus fire
Fire investigators examine the charred shell of a bus that caught fire in Kerzers, Switzerland (Alessandro della Valle/Keystone via AP)

At least six people have been killed and three others taken to hospital with severe injuries after a bus caught fire in a town west of the Swiss capital, police said.

Police spokesperson Frederic Papaux, of the Fribourg region, said an unspecified “voluntary act” could be the cause of the inferno on Tuesday evening in the town of Kerzers, about 15 miles west of Bern, the capital.

The regional transport bus is operated by PostBus, which is affiliated with the national postal service.

Firefighters and police officers install barriers to secure the area where a bus caught fire in Kerzers, Switzerland
Firefighters and police officers install barriers to secure the area where a bus caught fire in Kerzers, Switzerland (Laurent Merlet/Keystone via AP)

Images from the scene on Swiss media showed flames tearing through the bus.

“After rushing to the scene, rescue teams noted that the vehicle was totally engulfed in flames,” the regional government said in a statement.

Ambulance and helicopter teams ferried three injured people with severe injuries to hospital, while two others were treated on site, police said.

Mr Papaux said an investigation was under way.