Two German soldiers killed in highway truck crash

Two fatalities were reported on Monday after a German military vehicle was reportedly run off the road in the eastern state of Brandenburg.

The two soldiers were in a medium-sized Unimog truck as part of a convoy of some 27 vehicles from the German Bundeswehr.

The accident happened on a stretch of highway some 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Berlin. It reportedly occurred when a truck attempted to overtake the convoy but swerved to the right, pushing the Unimog off the road and into a traffic sign pole on the roadside. The two soldiers were said to have died at the scene, with the driver injured.

Police said they were investigating the cause of the accident, and were reported to have interviewed the driver of the overtaking vehicle, who was also injured.

The vehicles were headed in the direction of the city of Magdeburg, in the neighboring state of Saxony-Anhalt. Police tweeted that the A2 highway was blocked to traffic heading toward Magdeburg.

rc/nm (AFP, dpa)