US armored vehicles crash on autobahn in Bavaria — reports

A US Army convoy was involved in a road accident on the autobahn on Monday, German media reported.

The crash occurred at 11 a.m. local time (0900 UTC/GMT) along the A6 highway in the southeastern state of Bavaria.

Police suspect that a braking maneuver in traffic could have been the cause of the incident, according to Bavarian daily Mittelbayerische.

Four US Army vehicles were involved in the collision. Three of the four vehicles are no longer roadworthy and must be towed, the paper cited police as saying.

Seven US soldiers were injured in the accident, a police spokesperson told the Mediengruppe Bayern news conglomerate. One of the soldiers suffered severe injures while the injuries of two others were described as moderate. Four soldiers sustained light injuries, according to the report.

Following the accident, the A6 in the direction of the western Czech town of Pilsen was closed off. Mittelbayerische cited police as saying that the motorway would remain blocked over the course of the afternoon.

US army uses public roads in drills

Last week, the US Army announced it would conduct a recurring exercise, dubbed Combined Resolve, alongside several European countries near the Bavarian town of Hohenfels. It said that military vehicles would make us of public roads during the drills.

"To support this exercise, military vehicles will also use public roads to convoy as part of the exercise during both daylight and evening hours," the US Army Europe and Africa said.

"Due to their size and weight, these vehicles will move slowly and have limited visibility. Drivers are advised to use caution when driving near military convoys."

Edited by: Darko Janjevic