Irish students killed in balcony collapse
SIX people, including at least five Irish students, have died after a balcony crammed with revellers at a 21st birthday party collapsed.
Seven others are seriously injured after the fourth-floor balcony fell in the Californian town of Berkeley.
At least five of the dead were from Ireland and in the US on work visas.
Officials in Dublin have set up a special crisis centre to deal with yesterday’s tragedy.
Building inspectors have barred people from using the remaining balconies in the complex.
Berkeley police spokesman Byron White said authorities want to inspect the remaining balconies for safety.
The apartment complex is a popular residence for University of California, Berkeley students. The building is near the university campus.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny said police told him there were 13 people on the balcony when it collapsed.
Two Irish students asleep in the building said they heard a bang as the balcony collapsed.
“I walked out and I saw rubble on the street and a bunch of Irish students crying,” said Mark Neville, who has been in the US for three weeks under the J-1 visa programme.
“I just heard a bang and a lot of shouting,” added 21-year-old Dan Sullivan.
Police say they received a noise complaint about a loud party about an hour before the balcony collapsed.
Spokesman Byron White confirmed that officers had not responded to the complaint before the collapse.