Bridge over Yellowstone River collapses; train plunges into water

A bridge that crosses the Yellowstone River in Montana collapsed early Saturday, plunging portions of a freight train carrying hazardous materials into the rushing water below.

The train cars were carrying asphalt and sulfur, said David Stamey, Stillwater County’s chief of emergency services. Officials shut down drinking water intakes downstream while they evaluated the danger. An Associated Press reporter witnessed a yellow substance coming out of some of the tank cars.

However, Mr. Stamey said there was no immediate danger for the crews working at the site, and the hazardous material was being diluted by the swollen river. There were eight rail cars in the river or on the part of the bridge that collapsed.

The train crew was safe and no injuries were reported, Montana Rail Link spokesman Andy Garland said in a statement.

Railroad crews were at the scene in Stillwater County, near the town of Columbus, about 40 miles west of Billings. The area is in a sparsely populated section of the Yellowstone River Valley, surrounded by ranch and farmland. The river there flows away from Yellowstone National Park, which is about 110 miles southwest.

Israeli military kills Palestinian gunman

A Palestinian assailant opened fire at an Israeli military checkpoint in the West Bank on Saturday before being shot and killed, Israeli police said. Elsewhere in the occupied territory, settlers rampaged through a Palestinian village, hurling stones, spraying bullets and setting fire to homes, the latest in a series of settler attacks this week.

The Palestinian gunman approached Israeli troops stationed at the Qalandiya checkpoint outside Jerusalem early in the morning, pulled out an M16 rifle and opened fire, the Israeli police said.

Israeli security forces said they shot back, killing the suspected assailant. According to the Israeli rescue service, two security guards in their 20s were hospitalized with minor wounds — at least one from bullet fragments. There was no immediate word on the attacker’s identity.

Later on Saturday, residents of the Palestinian village of Umm Safa said that some 50 Israeli settlers armed with rifles and flammable liquid stormed through the streets and tried to set fire to at least five homes with people inside. The Israeli military said it sent security forces to the scene and arrested an Israeli citizen.

Tropical Storm Bret expected to dissipate

Tropical Storm Bret continued moving west across the Caribbean Sea on Saturday after bringing high winds and heavy rain to several small islands southeast of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

Bret damaged homes and sent more than 120 people to shelters in the Lesser Antilles islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Thursday, local officials said.

As of 11 a.m. Saturday, it was 55 miles north-northwest of the Gaujira Peninsula in Colombia, moving at 21 mph with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph — well below hurricane strength.

The National Hurricane Center described the storm as “barely a tropical cyclone” and it was expected to dissipate over the central Caribbean Sea overnight.

Tropical storm warnings that had been in effect in Barbados and in St. Vincent and the Grenadines were lifted on Friday morning.

Beijing sets multiday temperature record

Beijing and parts of northern China are experiencing record temperatures, with authorities urging people to limit their time outdoors.

The Nanjiao observatory in southern Beijing on Saturday for the first time recorded temperatures above 104 degrees Fahrenheit for a third consecutive day, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

In nearby Hebei province and the port city of Tianjin, temperatures also soared above 104 F over the past few days, prompting authorities to issue “red” alerts for extreme weather.