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US Volunteer in Nepal for Earthquake Relief Fatally Beaten


Nepal
Nepal

An American woman who traveled to Nepal to help after April's earthquake has been beaten to death, Nepali police said.

Twenty-five year-old Dahlia Yehia had arrived in Nepal on July 20 to help quake survivors in Pokhara, a popular tourist spot.

Police said Monday a local teacher, Narayan Paudel, who was hosting Yehia at his home, has admitted to beating the volunteer to death and dumping her body in a river.

Police officials say the two met through Couchsurfing, a website that connects travelers to hosts. They say Yehia's body has not been recovered.

Yehia was reported missing on August 6. She is an art teacher who previously taught at a school in Austin, Texas.

On a Facebook page originally set up to "Find Dahlia," her family said they received word from the U.S. Embassy that Dahlia had died. "We are devastated by this senseless loss of a beautiful life. For those who haven't had the joy of spending time with Dahlia, know that she is a giver, lover, and humanitarian, who devoted her life to others less fortunate both domestic and abroad," the page reads.

The devastating Nepal earthquake on April 25 left nearly 9,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands homeless. Following the quake, many foreigners arrived in the country to provide help to the victims.

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