Two U.S. soldiers were treated and released from a local hospital Tuesday after their convoy and a fuel truck collided in a highway pileup about an hour north of Munich, military officials said.
The soldiers were from the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
“Both soldiers were screened and cleared by the hospital and have been returned to their unit,” said Maj. Chris Bradley, the 173rd’s spokesman.
Initial reporting from the Army stated at least eight soldiers were injured, but as reports came in through the day the number was reduced, Bradley said. A third soldier from the unit accompanied the soldiers to the hospital along with a police escort, but that soldier was uninjured.
German police said Tuesday afternoon that the accident involved six vehicles and that the truck driver sustained the most serious injuries. None of the soldiers’ injuries were considered life-threatening at the scene, police said.
One of the vehicles in the military convoy, which was driving near the Bavarian city of Mainburg, had a defect that made the other vehicles slow down, police said.
The 67-year-old driver of a truck carrying about 8,000 gallons of diesel fuel trailed the convoy, failed to slow down in time and crashed into the last vehicle — a troop transporter, police said.
The impact caused the troop transporter to collide with the Humvees that were leading the convoy.
None of the truck’s fuel spilled following the collision, police said.
The accident caused the A93 highway to shut down for several hours. A rescue helicopter was called to the scene to assist in the medical response.
Stars and Stripes reporter John Vandiver contributed to this report.
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