At least six people have died in a bus fire in western Switzerland, prompting authorities to launch a criminal investigation, police have said.
Fribourg police said the bus was engulfed in flames on Tuesday on a road in Kerzers, a town in the canton of Fribourg about 20 kilometres from the Swiss capital Bern.
"At this stage, we have elements suggesting a deliberate act by a person who was inside the bus," said Frederic Papaux, a spokesperson for Fribourg police.
Three injured people were taken to hospital, police said.
Passengers were seen escaping from the burning bus, panicked and injured, Papaux said, adding that no other vehicle was involved in the incident.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin offered his condolences and said the incident was under investigation.
"It shocks and saddens me that once again people have lost their lives in a serious fire in Switzerland," Parmelin said in a message posted on X.
The tragedy comes months after another deadly fire in Switzerland.
In January, a blaze in a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana killed 41 people and injured 115.
