2 German soldiers die after truck crashes into convoy

Two German soldiers have died after a tractor-trailer crashed into their vehicle on a highway near Berlin

Germany Army Accident ((c) dpa-Zentralbild)

Two German soldiers died early Monday after a tractor-trailer crashed into their heavy vehicle that was part of a military convoy on a highway near Berlin

Brandenburg state police said the incident happened as the soldiers were driving an Unimog truck in a convoy of 27 military vehicles on a six-lane highway.

Police said the tractor-trailer was in the central lane, traveling in the same direction as the convoy, when it suddenly swung to the right, pushing the heavy Unimog off the road.

The military vehicle crashed through a guardrail and hit a steel signpost. Both occupants of the truck, ages 20 and 33, died at the scene; the 34-year-old driver of the tractor-trailer suffered minor injuries.

Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer expressed her condolences to the families of the dead soldiers.