Pictured: The five Irish students and one American tragically killed after a balcony collapsed at Berkeley apartment during a 21st birthday party
- Three young men and three young women, 21 and 22, died on Tuesday
- Seven more people, all Irish, seriously injured during 21st birthday party
- They were all among group of 14 partygoers on balcony when it fell
- Witnesses heard a crack and bang as students tumbled 50ft to pavement
- Criminal charges may come for those who built or maintained building
- Experts fear joists of balcony may have been damaged by dry rot
Five Irish students and an American killed when a fourth-floor apartment balcony collapsed during a 21st birthday party have been named and pictured for the first time today.
Olivia Burke, Eoghan Culligan, Niccolai Schuster, Lorcan Miller, Eimear Walsh, all 21 from Ireland, and Irish-American Ashley Donohoe, 22, all died in Berkeley, California, yesterday.
Seven other students, also from Ireland, were injured and some have critical, life-threatening wounds following the tragedy yards from the University of California.
Witnesses said there were around 14 partygoers crammed on to the balcony, which collapsed with a sharp crack at around 12.45am on Tuesday, spilling them about 50 feet on to the pavement below.
Criminal charges could be brought against the companies behind the construction or maintenance of the seven-year-old Library Gardens Building, with experts claiming the joists may have broken because of dry rot.
The dead include Ashley Donohoe, a 22-year-old American from Rohnert Park in California’s Sonoma County and Eimear Walsh, 21
Olivia Burke, left, and Niccolai Schuster, right, was among a group of Irish students who tragically lost their lives when a balcony gave way at an apartment block in Berkeley, California
Lorcan Miller, left, and Eoghan Culligan, right, were young people of college age visiting the U.S. on working visas
The foreign students, the majority of whom were from south Dublin, were visiting Berkeley, California, on the popular J1 working visa program, which attracts thousands of Irish students annually.
Most had only been in the United States for a fortnight after finishing their university exams at home in Ireland.
Niccolai Schuster, 21, from Terenure, Eoghan Culligan, 21, from Rathfarnham and Lorcán Miller, 21, from Shankhill, were three of six students killed when a balcony collapsed during a 21st birthday party in Berkeley, California.Four of the students were pronounced dead at the scene and two of the young people died in hospital.
Eimear Walsh, 21, from Dublin, and Olivia Burke, 21, from Foxrock in Dublin, also died in the tragedy.
Ashley Donohoe, an American student from Rohnert Park in north California, was also killed. It is understood she was Olivia Burke's cousin. Lorcan Miller was a medical student in University College Dublin who completed his secondary education at St Andrew's College in Dublin.
Eoghan Culligan was set to graduate from Dublin Institute of Technology next year. He had attended St Mary's College in Rathmines, as had Niccolai Schuster.
Olivia Burke was a student at IADT in One Dún Laoghaire while it is understood Eimear Walsh was a student at UCD.
Niccolai Schuster's parents, John and Graziella, were consoled by streams of friends and neighbours at their home in Terenure. Niccolai's uncle said the family had been left 'devastated' by the tragedy.
Eoghan Culligan's parents were also comforted by friends and neighbours at their home in Rathfarnham.
Last night, St Mary's Past Pupils Union tweeted: 'Sad news that many of the students involved were past pupils of St Marys, class 2012. Our thoughts with their family & friends'.
The victims, who had travelled to the United States on J-1 summer visas, fell from the fourth floor of an apartment building when the balcony gave way at 12.40am on Tuesday.
Tragedy: The balcony collapsed under the weight of the partygoers, landing on the balcony below and then sending them tumbling to the ground
Aftermath: This picture shows how the balcony broke away from the timber beams holding it fast to the building
Hurt: One of seven other students, also from Ireland, injured, pictured, is taken away for treatment
Seven other people were seriously injured, including Milltown student Clodagh Cogley.
Speaking at his home last night, her father, Niall Cogley, said his daughter was out on the balcony at the time when it collapsed. He said the students had only been in Berkeley a week or two and had just settled into the area.
He said he was relieved to have heard from his daughter yesterday afternoon but felt for the families of the bereaved. 'We told her we were going to come over and she said great.'
Mr Cogley, a manager in TV3, said the 21-year-old Trinity College psychology student had a few broken bones and was undergoing surgery in Eden hospital in Berkeley last night.
'Clodagh was standing on the balcony when it collapsed. It seems to be a miracle that we were able to talk to her this evening and we are just grateful for that.
'Our first concern is for the families who have just had their loved one - their children - taken away from them,' he added.
Pictures from the scene showed the balcony detached itself from the wall and collapsed into a balcony on the third floor of the pale stucco building on Kittredge Street, near the University of California Berkeley.
Many of the injured have critical, life-threatening wounds, said a police spokeswoman, after they fell when the 5ft by 10ft balcony flipped over and landed on the third-floor balcony below, spilling the occupants into the street.
A woman cries as she leaves flowers at the scene of a balcony collapse at an apartment building near UC Berkeley. Six students died and another seven were injured, some seriously
Incident: The balcony (circled) gave way at the luxury Library Gardens Apartments, just two blocks from the University of California, Berkeley
About 3000 Irish students go to California every year on the J-1 programme. There are currently 700 Irish students in the San Francisco Bay area, including 400 in Berkeley.
Many work at places like Pier 39 in San Francisco for about nine weeks and then have three weeks to explore the country.
The parents of the injured and the deceased began arriving in San Francisco last night as officials from the consulate laid wreaths at the site of the balcony.
Speaking to media in Berkeley last night, Irish Consul General Philip Grant, said: 'You will understand that we are still in an emergency response mode and it has been a very traumatic time for us, for the people back in Ireland, all those families.
'We have thousands of Irish students who come to the United states every summer on an exchange programme.
'It's a wonderful formative experience and to have this happen at the start of this season is something that has left us all frozen in shock and in disbelief. We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support that we have received from all of the communities here, particularly from the Irish community in the Bay area, who are a very close tightknit community.'
The Mail contacted a number of J-1 students in Berkeley yesterday, many of whom were too upset to speak about the incident.
One student, who did not wish to be named, said: 'Everyone is really shocked. We can't believe this has happened, information is still just coming out and it's just a nightmare to wake up to this news.' A local man, Gerald Robinson of Berkeley, told the San Francisco Chronicle that he had just left a movie and was in his car when a young man and woman with blood on them flagged him down.
He drove them to Highland Hospital, in Oakland, and stayed with them for about an hour.
'They were distraught. They were hanging onto each other for comfort," said Robinson, 65. 'They were having a party — suddenly it went down. It came down really fast and chucked everybody off.' An Irish student who is living in the apartment block where the balcony collapsed killing six and seriously injuring eight others said the balcony was only big enough for six people.
Fellow students gathered to pay their respects at the scene on Tuesday, dressed in their Irish football jerseys
Tribute: Two wreaths of flowers and an Irish flag lay on the pavement where the young men and women died or were injured
Initial reports suggest up to 16 people were on the balcony when it collapsed.
James Mullaney, 20, said: We're overlooking the street. We just heard a lot of noise. We were asleep and woke up with the noise of the sirens, there were emergency crews everywhere and TV crews.
'Right now, there are police across the street and people setting up TV cameras. But the road is not closed.
'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 okay.' The US Ambassador to Ireland, Kevin O'Malley, released a statement expressing his deepest sympathies to the families of those who died.
'I would like to offer my heartfelt sympathy and condolence to the families, loved ones and friends of the Irish students who lost their lives.
'All of us at the 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. We will continue to coordinate as more details become available.
'Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, loved ones, and friends at this difficult time.' Police spokesman Officer Jennifer Coats said in a phone interview with the Associated Press: 'We don't know what happened. Officers on scene are talking with people.
Coats added 'We don't have a lot of specific detail at this point because they (investigators) are still trying to work through it all.' Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan pledged every assistance tto the families of the dead and injured.
'My department in Dublin stands ready to provide all possible consular assistance to the Irish citizens affected by this tragedy,' he said.
Blood and debris from the fallen balcony remains on Kitteredge St in Berkeley. A balcony collapsed at the Library Gardens Apartments. A full investigation is underway into the building
The Irish Consul General in San Francisco is in close contact with the authorities, and will be providing assistance to those on the ground.
President Michael D. Higgins said, 'I have heard with the greatest sadness of the terrible loss of life of young Irish people and the critical injury of others in Berkeley, California today.
'My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of all those involved.' The injured were taken to the Highland Hospital in Oakland, the Eden Medical Center and John Muir Hospitals. Some of the injured are critically hurt.
When officers arrived they found the balcony on the fourth floor of the luxury building on Kittredge Street had disintegrated.
Four people died at the scene and two died later in hospital. Four bodies were seen lying on the ground covered with tarpaulin. The coroner and building inspectors were at the scene on Tuesday morning.
One resident at the apartment block told KTVU he had called the police to make a complaint about a large party that was going on in the apartment.
That was just after midnight. Berkeley police chief Michael Meehan received a series of complaints about noise at 12:02 on Monday night.
But they did not respond since minutes later they received a call about shots fired which was triaged as more urgent. The call about the balcony collapse came in at 12.42am.
Cups and clothing could be seen on the ground among the fallen masonry.
Library Gardens offers one and two-bedroom apartments for up to $4,000 a month close to the college campus.
The building has apartment in the upper floors and retails shops on the ground floor.
A UC Berkeley spokesman told DailyMail.com that the school was awaiting identification of those killed.
He was unable to immediately confirm if the six dead were affiliated with UC Berkeley.
The spokesman added: 'This is a devastating loss, and we wish to extend our condolences to the families of those victims lost in this terrible accident.
'We also wish to extend our thoughts and wishes for recovery to those who were injured and receiving medical attention. Our hearts go out to all the victims' families, friends and loved ones.'
CRIMINAL CHARGES COULD BE BROUGHT AS EXPERTS POINT TO DRY ROT
The authorities will carry out a a 'structural assessment' of the remaining balconies but experts have said the one that fell may have had dry rot
Criminal charges could be brought against the companies behind the construction or maintenance of the Library Gardens Building, the mayor of Berkeley has said.
As the Irish consulate in San Francisco made arrangements to evacuate the remaining 60 Irish students living in the building last night, serious questions were being raised about how a building constructed in 2007 could have failed so catastrophically.
A structural engineer who has investigated similar incidents in the past and who inspected the scene yesterday told the Irish Daily Mail that he is 'almost 100 per cent convinced' that the 'cause of the balcony failing was dry rot'.
Mayor of Berkeley Tom Bates attempted to address the speculation at a news conference yesterday by admitting there had been 'a lot of allegations'. 'We have to get to the bottom of it and we have to really ensure that the accusations are correct and look at what the evidence is on it,' he said. 'There could be charges made if they're appropriate.
'We are going to fully investigate this incident. It's a wake-up call - we have all these buildings that are under construction, we want them to be built perfectly, we want them to be solid, we want them to hold up and we certainly don't want this kind of thing to happen.'
Gene St Onge - a structural engineer from the nearby city of Oakland with 40 years' experience - visited the scene of the tragedy yesterday and was able to observe the remains of the balcony hanging from the side of the building.
'It may have been built strong enough to withstand the weight of 13 people, we don't know,' he said.
'I tend to think it was not a structural problem or if there was a weakness, structurally it was not the primary cause. I just came from the site and from my observations and from talking to individuals there, there does seem to be quite a lot of evidence of dry rot in the materials.'
Mr St Onge continued: 'Dryrot occurs when you get water intrusion which is a real problem with this type of structure.
'They are balconies, the floor framing and the joists that are supporting the deck actually go back into the floor of the building and cantilever out, they extend in this case five feet beyond the outside wall.' He explained that the point where the joists pass through the external wall is a very important area.
'You cannot have water intrusion and I think they may have failed in providing that. The balcony rotated around 180 degrees because the joists failed.'
Even if the cause of the failure turns out to be dry rot, it's not clear at this stage whether the responsibility would lie with the engineer, the architect or the contractor.
Investigators will ultimately decide what the cause of the failure was but Mr St Onge warned that the process could be drawn out.
'There will be engineers on both sides. Hopefully it will get resolved but I am convinced, almost 100 per cent convinced, the dry rot is a major contributory cause of the problem.' Building regulations in California are among the strictest in the US and because of the region's susceptibility to earthquakes, all construction work in the San Francisco Bay Area is subjected to close scrutiny.
All aspects of a building's construction, from the engineering and architectural plans through to the engineers seals on the steel beams used, must be signed off on by the city authorities during construction.
Under Berkeley's construction code, a 50 sq ft balcony such as the one that collapsed killing the six Irish students is required to be able to hold a 'live load' of 3,000lbs (1,360kg).
In theory this should be easily capable of holding 13 adults who each weighed less than 100kg.
The Berkeley police department has told the Mail that building inspectors visited the scene yesterday morning after the accident and sealed off the balcony as well as the three other similar balconies in the building.
A 'structural assessment' of the remaining balconies is to be carried out within 48 hours, a spokesman said.
Urine on the carpets and broken fire doors: Inside the 'hellhole' apartment block where six people fell to their death after a balcony collapsed
By Daniel Bates
Residents of the apartment block where a balcony collapsed killing five Irish students and one American on Tuesday wrote scathing reviews of the poor conditions - and claimed managers were cowboys who did not fix maintenance issues.
One resident of Library Gardens in Berkeley, California who was writing just last week posted horrific pictures of broken fire doors and urine on the carpets.
Other images showed trash on the stairwells and a grim laundry room that 'will make you want to die'.
Resident at the Library Gardens in Berkeley, California, have complained about a host of problems including homeless people using the building stairwells to go to the toilet. 'Never gets cleaned,' wrote Yelp.com Chan N
Another health and safety concern at the apartment complex was a '3-week-old broken fire door'
On Yelp.com Chan N wrote last Wednesday: 'Apartment is loud noisy, lacks any amenities, No gardens of any kind. Doesn't take care of any maintenance issues in a timely manner.
'Huge homeless problem in stairwells and laundry rooms. P***, Fecal matter, Condoms, articles of clothing in stairwells. Dog poop/pee in courtyards. Very unclean most of the time.
'Building owner is greedy and cares about no one not even the staff which is sad since they do all the hard work. This place is a huge rip off in just about every way.'
Writing on Google, five year resident Alex Merenkov said: 'Management is not capable of doing what they are asked time and time again. Its incredibly and horrifically frustrating.'
Another Google user wrote: 'If you have no other choice and is stuck with this hellhole, then read everything three times, these people are deceptive, sniveling, douche bags.
'And if you read all these reviews and still sign, well, you are going to be scammed these cheating b******* do.'
Residents have complained about dirty elevators that are never cleaned and contain spilled coffee, vomit, urine, and other garbage
Urine stains in a stairwell: The Library Gardens complex was built between 2006 and 2007 by California developer John DeClercq
Yet more urine stains: The managers of the building have now issued a statement expressing their sorrow for the tragedy that saw six young people die
The managers of the building have now issued a statement expressing their sorrow for the tragedy.
Greystar, a Houston-based developer and real-estate management company that owns or manages more than 400,000 apartments around the country, said: 'Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the deceased and those injured in this tragic accident.
'As the property management company, we have taken precautionary steps to limit access to other balconies at the apartment complex as law enforcement completes its investigation.
'The safety of our residents is our highest priority and we will be working with an independent structural engineer and local authorities to determine the cause of the accident.'
The Library Gardens complex was built between 2006 and 2007 by California developer John DeClercq.
He sold his interest in June 2007 to Blackrock, the global real estate investment trust. Blackrock did not return calls asking for comment.
The onsite laundry facility was described as 'terrible' with machine often broken and this photo shows a pipe labelled gas hanging disconnected. 'Doing laundry here will make you want to die' said Yelp.com Chan N
A third Floor patio that was supposed to be open to residents was closed due to safety reasons
In an interview with local news website Berkeleyside, DeClerq said: 'I am totally speechless and am really feeling for the families. I am feeling terrible.'
DeClercq said a quality contractor built Library Gardens and that he used 'the best steel guy in California'.
He said: 'It was a reputable local general contractor. They hired the best steel and concrete subcontractors. It was a very strong team.'
Investigations of building permits in Berkeley show that the original contractor was Segue Construction, who are based in Pleasanton, California.
They are a small firm of 50 people who have been in business since 1992 and focus on multi-family homes.
Chief executive David Dunlop said on the phone: 'I can't answer any of your questions right now'