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College Student From Blaine Dies In River Rafting Accident

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 23-year-old college student from Blaine died Monday after the raft he was in flipped in the Sheyenne River in North Dakota, authorities said.

Dan Buehner, a Centennial High School graduate, was a senior at Valley City State University was a catcher on the baseball team. He had gone rafting with two friends when it capsized, according to Valley City Police Chief Fred Thompson.

Buehner's two friends, 22-year-old Ryan Shaw and 21-year-old Hayden Johnson, made it to shore. Rescue crews searched for Buehner on Monday, and his body was found on Tuesday beneath a bridge several hundred yards downstream from where their rubber raft tipped. He was a senior studying business administration.

Now, fellow students and teammates are mourning his death.

"It's tough. College baseball is more than just playing baseball. It's a family," said Kayl Hamre, a baseball player at Valley City State. "Like we talked earlier, it's a brotherhood and we lost one of our brothers the other day and it hit us hard. It's one of those things that no one can predict. We don't know why it happened but we lost a great guy, a great teammate and an even better friend.

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