2 German soldiers die after truck crashes into convoy

BERLIN — Two German soldiers died early Monday after a tractor-trailer crashed into the vehicle they were driving in 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.