Two separate crashes involving semi trucks left two drivers dead early Monday morning.

The difficult travel conditions came after freezing rain and sleet that moved across southern Minnesota, leaving roads coated with ice and making early-morning driving hazardous across much of the region.

The first crash happened at about 2:01 a.m. on Dec. 22 along northbound Interstate 35 near milepost 20 in Bath Township in Freeborn County. The Minnesota State Patrol said a 2015 Peterbilt semi tractor and a 2020 Freightliner semi tractor were both traveling northbound when they collided and ended up in the median ditch. Road conditions were described as snow and ice.