A postal bus caught fire in the center of Kerzers, a town in Switzerland's Fribourg canton, killing at least six people and injuring five others on Tuesday evening. The incident occurred around 18:25 local time, about 20 kilometers west of Bern, after the yellow PostBus vehicle arrived from the nearby municipality of Düdingen.

Emergency responders arrived to find the bus fully engulfed in flames, with thick smoke billowing from the scene. Videos shared by local media showed the charred remains of the vehicle after the fire was extinguished. Passengers were seen fleeing in panic, some injured, as witnesses described a small fire starting inside the bus before it rapidly spread, consuming the entire coach within half a minute. One bystander helped extinguish flames on a person who ran out burning by covering them with a jacket.

Fribourg cantonal police confirmed six fatalities, with victim identification expected to take several days. Three survivors were hospitalized with severe injuries, two others received on-site treatment, and one rescuer was also hurt. Police spokesperson Frédéric Papaux stated that investigators had "elements suggesting a deliberate act by a person who was inside the bus." A second spokesperson, Christa Bielmann, noted they were examining reports of someone pouring fuel on themselves, though it was too early to determine if terrorism was involved.

Swiss media outlet 20 Minutes reported a video from the scene in which an injured person claimed: "A man set himself on fire. He poured gasoline over himself and then lit himself." Local politician Romain Collaud emphasized there was "no indication that suggests we might be dealing with a terrorist attack."

Swiss President Guy Parmelin expressed grief on X, saying the event "shocks and saddens me that once again people have lost their lives in a serious fire in Switzerland." Collaud linked the tragedy to a January fire at a bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort that killed 41 people, noting that "the wounds from Crans-Montana are still fresh" and such incidents appear more frequent.

A criminal investigation continues, with authorities treating the fire as potentially arson-related. The cause remains unconfirmed as forensic analysis proceeds.