KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) — An American tourist died trying to cross a flooded river in Nepal on Thursday, and two people were missing from a crowded boat that capsized on another river swollen by monsoon rains in the Himalayan country.
The body of Joseph Edward Wheeler, 82, was found hours after he was swept down the Paruwa River, police official Janak Shahi said.
Wheeler had boarded an overnight bus to west Nepal, but the driver stopped because the bridge was damaged by days of flooding. The man decided to cross the river on foot but was swept away. He was from Virginia, but no hometown was given.
Separately, an overcrowded wooden boat with 100 people on board capsized crossing the Bagmati River south of the capital Katmandu.
Government administrator Madan Bhujel said local villagers, police and army rescuers managed to pull out most of the people while two are still missing.
Flooding and landslides have already killed nearly 300 people in Nepal this month.
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