Extra

Nearly everyone in Ireland is affected by the deaths of six people, including five from Ireland, in the collapse of a balcony at an apartment complex in downtown Berkeley early this morning, an Irish consulate official said. 

Speaking at a news conference outside Berkeley City Hall, Philip Grant, the consul general of Ireland for the Western U.S., said, "Very few of us are untouched" and "very few of us wouldn't know someone" who was killed or injured in the incident at 12:41 a.m. at the Library Gardens apartment complex at 2020 Kittredge St. 

In addition to the six people who were killed, seven people were injured and are being treated at three different hospitals in the Bay Area. 

Grant said the Irish victims were all young and were in the U.S. on a J-1 visa, which allows visitors to participate in work and study-based exchange programs. 

"Thousands of students come to the U.S. for this program every summer and it's a wonderful opportunity at a great time in their lives and is a formative experience. To have this happen at the start of the summer has left us frozen in shock and disbelief," he said. 

Alameda County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. J.D. Nelson said one of the victims, 22-year-old Ashley Donohoe of Rohnert Park, was from the Bay Area and the other five were from Ireland. 

Nelson identified the Irish victims as Olivia Burke, 21, Eoghan Culligan, 21, Niccolai Schuster, 21, Lorcan Miller, 21, and Eimear Walsh, 21. 

Nelson said all six victims died of multiple blunt traumatic injuries consistent with a fall from about 40 feet. 

Berkeley police Chief Michael Meehan said the youths were attending a party at Unit 405 on the fourth floor at the building. 

Meehan said police received a call at 12:02 a.m. complaining about noise at the building but police didn't respond because another call came in four minutes later reporting a shooting in South Berkeley and that was a higher priority for police. 

Police responded in two minutes when the balcony collapse was reported, Meehan said. 

As of this afternoon, there's no indication that foul play or any criminal activity led to the collapse of the balcony, he said. 

Berkeley city spokesman Matthai Chakko said the Library Gardens complex, which is next to the Berkeley City Library, was built between 2005 and 2007 and the final inspection before it opened was conducted in January 2007. He said additional inspections have been conducted there as improvements have been made. 

The building's owner is BlackRock, a New York-based investment firm, Chakko said. 

Three other balconies at the complex have been red-tagged, prohibiting access to them, according to Chakko. 

The city has ordered BlackRock to immediately remove the failed balcony and perform a structural assessment of the remaining balconies within 48 hours, he said. 

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates said, "We are awestruck by this horrible tragedy and our thoughts go out to everyone who has been affected by this." 

He said, "It's a dark, dark day." 

Bates also said the balcony collapse is "a wake-up call" for the city to make sure that large number of housing units being constructed in downtown Berkeley are built safely. 

"There are 13 buildings now under construction and we will inspect them to make sure they're safe." 

Grant said family members of the students who were killed or injured will begin arriving in the Bay Area tonight but he asked the news media to respect their privacy. 

"Our hearts are breaking but it's so good to know that so many people are standing with us," Grant said. 

He said, "We are overwhelmed by the amount of support we have received, particularly from the Irish community in the Bay Area."