A civilian delivery truck carrying a shipment of German ammunition has been stolen in the eastern town of Burg, the defence ministry has said.

Speaking to Germany’s DPA news agency, officials did not specify how much was taken. However, other reports cited a defence spokesperson as saying it was close to 20,000 rounds.

It was only the next morning, when the delivery arrived at the barracks, that it became clear some of the ammunition was missing.

After checking the delivery list, it was ascertained that some 10,000 rounds of live ammunition for pistols and 9,900 rounds of training ammunition for assault rifles had been taken, Spiegel reported.

The Defence Ministry told the magazine that: “We take the theft very seriously — this kind of ammunition must not fall into the wrong hands.”

Authorities have not confirmed whether anyone has been arrested or identified in connection with the incident.