A balcony collapsed off a Berkeley apartment building early Tuesday, killing six students from Ireland and injuring eight others, ABC 7 in San Francisco reported.
A 21st birthday party turned tragic in Berkeley, California, early Tuesday when a balcony gave way, killing six Irish students who were in the U.S. on temporary work visas, according to the Irish Foreign Minister and local media.
Noah Berger / AP
The fourth-floor balcony on the Kittredge Street building "disintegrated" sometime before 1 a.m. Tuesday, police told the Associated Press. In addition to those who died, there were another seven who suffered serious injuries. It is not clear what caused the balcony to detach but police are working with fire officials and building inspectors to determine the cause of the accident, Berkeley Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Coats said.
Pictures show the balcony had completely detached and came to rest on the balcony on the floor below.
According to ABC, there were 12 to 14 people on the balcony at the time of the collapse and that the victims are all between 20 and 22-years-old. All were part of a student exchange summer work program from Ireland.
Berkeley Police spokesman Byron White told the AP that police had received a noise complaint for a loud party about an hour before the collapse.
"What the first responders said is it was quite disturbing," White said. "Anytime you have a tragedy like this it's quite awful."
"My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of the deceased and those who have been injured in this appalling accident," Flanagan said in the statement.
The building has retail space on the ground floor and apartments above. It is located just blocks away from University of California's Berkeley campus.
"We don't have a lot of specific detail at this point because [investigators] are still trying to work through it all," Coats told the AP in a telephone interview.
The Irish consul general in San Francisco is in contact with authorities and can provide assistance to those affected, according to Flanagan.
"It is too early to know the full extent of this dreadful accident but I have opened my Department's Consular Crisis Centre and activated our emergency response line so we can provide assistance and guidance to the families of those affected and to others who have concerns," Flanagan said.
California Balcony Collapse Kills 6 Irish Students
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