Six young Irish nationals died early on Tuesday when a fourth-floor apartment balcony collapsed during a 21st birthday party in Berkeley, authorities said.
At least seven people were injured, with some in critical condition, after the incident at a building two blocks from the campus of the University of California at Berkeley, local media and officials said.
Most of those involved were Irish students from University College Dublin, Ireland’s largest university, on the US’ J1 work-study visa program, which allows them to teach, study, conduct research and work legally during their stay in the US.
Photo: Reuters
The Alameda County coroner’s office confirmed that six people died.
“My heart breaks for the parents who have lost children,” Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny told parliament in Dublin.
He said 13 people had been on the balcony at the time, citing Berkeley police.
“It is truly terrible to have such a serious and sad incident take place at the beginning of summer of adventure and opportunity for so many young people on J1 visas in the United States,” Kenny said.
The victims were identified as 22-year-old Ashley Donohoe, an Irish-US dual citizen from California; and Olivia Burke, Eoghan Culligan, Niccolai Schuster, Lorcan Miller and Eimear Walsh, who were 21 and from Ireland.
Most of the victims were from University College Dublin.
Berkeley Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Coats told reporters that officers received a call just before 1am.
Pictures in California’s media showed the balcony detached from its spot on the apartment building’s exterior wall, with its railings sitting atop a balcony one floor below.
Berkeley officials said the building where the incident happened was finished in January 2007 and the owner of the property had been ordered to check the condition of the other balconies.
The cause of the incident was not immediately known and an investigation was under way.
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