Californian balcony collapses killing six Irish students during 21st birthday party
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 17 June, 2015, 1:37am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 17 June, 2015, 1:39am
Photos: AP, Reuters
This fourth-floor balcony of a California apartment building collapsed yesterday, killing six Irish students and leaving eight others with serious injuries during a 21st birthday party.
All five of the dead in the college town of Berkeley were in the US on temporary work visas, Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan said. Police were working with fire and building officials to determine what caused the accident.
Police received a noise complaint concerning a loud party in the apartment about an hour before the balcony collapsed at 12.41am.
The balcony, 1.5 metres by 3 metres, separated from the building and landed on a lower balcony.
"What the first responders said is it was quite disturbing," Officer Byron White, spokesman for the Berkeley police dpartment, said.
"Anytime you have a tragedy like this it's quite awful."
Two Irish students asleep in the building said they heard a bang during the accident.
