A shipment of German ammunition has been stolen from a delivery lorry in the eastern town of Burg, the country's 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.

The theft is thought to have taken place after the driver for a civilian transport company - contracted by the military - left his truck in an unguarded parking lot overnight on 25 November.

The next day, when the delivery arrived at the nearby Clausewitz Barracks, the ammunition was found to be missing. The army has launched an investigation alongside police.

Der Spiegel, among other German outlets, reported that the shipment contained 10,000 rounds of live ammunition for pistols, 9,900 rounds of blank bullets for assault rifles, and smoke grenades.

Authorities have not confirmed whether anyone has been arrested or identified in connection with the incident, which has prompted security concerns around who may acquire the lost supplies.

"We take the theft very seriously - this kind of ammunition must not fall into the wrong hands," the defence ministry told German media.

A focal point of the Bundeswehr (German army)'s investigation will be why the driver failed to identify a safe location for the stop, according to Germany's public broadcaster MDR.

It reports that there is a special hotline available to drivers who need similar assistance and said the armed forces can provide an escort if required.

The broadcaster said the driver left the vehicle in an unguarded parking lot and spent the night in a nearby hotel.

This is the latest in a series of similar incidents in the the Saxony-Anhalt region.

In August, local police in Bernburg reported 90 rounds of ammunition missing. Weeks earlier, officers in Eisleben reported they had lost 180 rounds.

No immediate connection has been made between the cases.