An Irish official said today that all of the victims of an apartment
balcony collapse in Berkeley, California, early this morning were from
Ireland.
According to Irish Consul-General Phillip Grant, there were 12 to 14
people on the balcony at the time, ages 20 to 22 years old. Irish
officials said they were taking part in a student exchange summer work
program.
Six people were killed, authorities said. Grant said the injured were being treated at Eden, Highland and John Muir hospitals.
The accident was reported at 12:41 a.m. on Kittredge Street in Berkeley, police said in a news release.
According to reports, the group was celebrating a birthday party when
the balcony, located on the fourth floor of the building, collapsed.
"My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of the deceased and those who have been injured in this appalling accident," Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charlie Flanagan said in the statement.
Authorities are working with building inspectors to figure out what caused the collapse, police said.
The apartment building is located less than two blocks from the University of California-Berkeley campus.
Source:abcnews.com