Three Italian soldiers serving in the Lebanon peacekeeping force were killed Monday morning as they were driving home from the port of Trieste to Bari.
The rented Renault Megane driven by one of the three hit a parked truck near Foggia, killing the soldiers instantly, rescue services said.
Police think the driver, 25-year-old Lieutenant Stefano Brocolini, may have dozed off at the wheel after driving all night from the northern port where they had disembarked for a furlough.
The other victims were identified as Sergeant Carmine Genovese, 31, and Corporal Luigi Squeo, 27.
They all lived in towns near the Puglian capital.
Italy is the biggest contributor of troops to UN peacekeeping operations in Lebanon, supplying 2,500 soldiers. An Italian general has led the 13,000-strong multinational force for the last year.
