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The family of a Minneapolis man who was set to begin trekking in the Annapurna region of the Himalayas in Nepal said Sunday that he has been found safe.

On Sunday, Julie Rhein said in a Facebook post that her parents have been in contact with Julie's brother, David Rhein, 28, and that he was at a guesthouse with food and water but no electricity. The path he was planning to trek has been closed.

Before Sunday, David Rhein was last known to be in the Nepalese city of Pokhara, where he was going to take a jeep into the mountains to start trekking what is known as the Annapurna circuit.

Rhein had told his family that he would likely be out of cellphone range during that portion of his travels in Southeast Asia, but since Saturday's earthquake Julie Rhein said his family has been trying to make contact with him. Unable to get through to his cellphone, Julie Rhein said she has been using Facebook to reach out to new friends of his in the area.

David Rhein, a graduate of Hopkins High School, most recently worked in finance for Target. After traveling for more than a year, he is scheduled to return to the United States next month to begin graduate school.

Meanwhile, the Association of Nepalese in Minnesota has raised more than $9,000 since Saturday, according to the nonprofit's Facebook page.

The nonprofit also hosted a discussion Sunday evening in Eagan to talk about how the organization is helping with disaster relief and is planning a candlelight vigil.

Visit the group's website (anmn.org) for donations that it said would be directed to the Red Cross and other efforts in Nepal. The group estimates that there are about 3,000 people of ethnic Nepali, Bhutanese and Tibetan heritage living in the Twin Cities.

In addition to accepting donations through its website, ANMN also established an e-mail for any questions: anmn.fundraising@gmail.com.

PAM LOUWAGIE