California balcony collapse: Six Irish students killed in balcony collapse at 21st birthday party in Berkeley identified

Seven others were injured, some seriously, in the unexplained accident

Five people died and several were injured when a balcony collapsed at a party in Berkeley (EPA)

Six Irish students who were killed after a balcony collapsed during a party at an apartment building in the US have been named.

Ashley Donohoe 22, from Rohnert Park, California, Oliva Burke, 21, Eimear Walsh, 21, Eoghan Culligan, 21, Niccolai Schuster, 21 and Lorcan Miller, 21 all with addresses in Ireland, died when a balcony on a fourth-floor flat in Berkley, California, collapsed and plunged them 40ft to the ground.

The victims' families have been contacted, the Irish government has confirmed.

Seven others were injured, some critically, in the accident shortly after midnight local time.

Charlie Flanagan, Ireland's Foreign Affairs Minister, confirmed the tragedy involved Irish students who were in America for the summer on J1 working visas.

"It's an appalling tragedy, an appalling loss of life for young people whose hopes and dreams of the future have suddenly and without notice been shattered," he said.

"There are a number of other students in the apartment at what I understand to have been a 21st birthday party who have been injured. They are being treated at a nearby hospital."
He told RTÉ News that four students had died at the scene and one in hospital, all aged between 20 and 22.

The balcony fell from the top of a four-storey building shortly after midnight local time, striking another balcony below.. Pictures appear to show it had ripped

Many of the injured people have critical or life-threatening wounds, a spokesperson from the Berkeley Police Department said.

Photos from the scene showed the balconies' iron railings crushed one on top of the other and the ground below covered in bricks and debris, mingled with clothing, shoes and red cups.

Police said they received a noise complaint about an hour before a balcony collapsed but had not responded by the time of the tragedy at around 12.41am local time (8.41am BST).

Five people died and several were injured when a balcony collapsed at a party in Berkeley (EPA)

James Mullaney, 20, who lives in the same apartment block, described the balconies as “small" and estimated that they hold a maximum of six people.

“We were asleep and woke up with the noise of the sirens, there were emergency crews everywhere and TV crews," he told the Irish Herald.

“As soon as I saw all the emergency services, I just texted my mother to say ‘in case you hear anything, I’m grand’. She knew as soon as I woke up that I was ok.”

Jerry Robinson, who lives nearby, told San Francisco news station KGO-TV that he was on his way home from the cinema when two hysterical people flagged down his car asking for a ride to hospital to check on their injured friends.

"They were all trying to notify parents, and things like that," he said.

"They were trying to figure out from each other who was on the balcony and what their condition was."

The balcony where five Irish people died before it collapsed in Kittredge Street, Berkeley (Google Streetview)

Firefighters and city officials are conducting investigations at the scene, which was sealed off after the accident.

“My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of the deceased and those who have been injured in this appalling accident,” Mr Flanagan said.

“My department in Dublin stands ready to provide all possible consular assistance to the Irish citizens affected by this tragedy.”

An investigation is underway into the cause of the collapse at the Library Gardens building on Kittredge Street. Built in 2006, the complex has shops on the ground floor and apartments above.

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs is working with authorities in California and has set up a crisis centre and emergency phone line for anyone concerned about their family and friends.

President Michael Higgins sent a message of condolence after hearing the news with "the greatest sadness" during a state visit to Italy.

"My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of all those involved," he said.

"I have been informed of the consular assistance being provided to assist all of the families involved and I have asked to be kept informed as further details emerge."

The apartment building is a short walk from the University of California building in Berkeley (Getty)

Martin McGuinness, Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister, added his sympathies over the tragedy.

"Shocking news of the deaths of several young Irish people in a tragic accident in California. My heart and sympathy goes out to their families," he wrote on Twitter.

The US Ambassador to Ireland, Kevin O'Malley, offered his "heartfelt sympathy and condolence" to the victims' friends and relatives.

He added: "All of us at the United States Embassy are greatly saddened by news of this tragic incident and are ready to do whatever we can to assist the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs at this difficult time."

USIT Ireland, a Dublin-based organisation which helps Irish students work in the US and sponsored the victims' trip, has also expressed its condolences.

It is now working with government officials in Ireland who have set up a special crisis center to deal with the tragedy.

Building inspectors have since barred residents from using the remaining balconies in the apartment complex.

Berkeley police spokesman Byron White said that authorities want to assess the remaining balconies to check they are safe.

Additional reporting by agencies