Balcony collapse in California kills Irish citizens

RobertKK

Happened 3 to 4 hours ago in Berkeley California. 5 dead and 8 injured.

A balcony collapsed and a terrible tragedy. Details scarce at this stage but Irish involved.

Their poor families and friends, and hopefully the injured can recover fully.

Irish foreign affairs have provided this phone number if you have concerns about family who are currently in Berkeley: 01 418 0200

The_Valeyard

Horrible way to go. Details very vague at the moment.


RIP to all the victims, and condolences to their families.

jimgoose

Jaysis, awful news. RTE has it:

http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0616/708497-california/

Ed Winchester

Jesus that's awful.

RIP to the dead.

Boom_Bap

Here's the first source i've come accross on this:

http://www.thejournal.ie/balcony-collapse-california-2164756-Jun2015/?utm_source=facebook_short

Can I also remind people to be respectful, family and friends may not be aware of this having happened yet.

Larbre34

I know two people with college age kids staying in Berkeley for the summer. I havent the heart the ring either of them, just have a horrible cold feeling.

Edit, christ ive just read it was a 21st and one of them was 21 at the weekend

LadyFenghuang

Sad for both the Irish and the Americans. RIP.

Deathwish4

Tragic news, very distressing for all involved. RIP

homerjay2005

awful awful tragedy. hopefully the people that are injured pull through and make a full recovery.

thoughts and prayers with the families right now.

Fuark this is horrible. I know some people over there at the moment, hope its not them. RIP to all involved and hope whoever survived makes a full recovery. Feel sorry for the families

RobertKK

Watched a bit about it on Fox news, the injured are fighting for their lives, the scene was so bad that the responders had to call for back up.
Seems to be all Irish involved.
Awfully sad situation.

LadyFenghuang

It's near the Berkley campus so it's like they are young people even the Americans. It must be tough for the Irish families to be far away. I hope there are no more deaths from the injured.

sunshine and showers

How devastating and tragic. My heart goes out to them and their families. I hope the injured pull through.

Egginacup

Oh Man, that's shocking. I know people are going to bang on about the balcony being overcrowded and all that usual "blame the victim" stuff but a balcony should be able to withstand the force of as many people who can actually get on it, then double that strength. That's how engineering works.

riffmongous

RobertKK wrote: »

Watched a bit about it on Fox news, the injured are fighting for their lives, the scene was so bad that the responders had to call for back up.
Seems to be all Irish involved.
Awfully sad situation.

Just dont read the comments under the article on their website

edit: like seriously, dont, most of the commenters are genuine scum

K4t

I wonder how many people were on the balcony, and what was the size of the balcony.

Seems strange that a balcony should simply collapse - Somebody's getting sued.

Stheno

riffmongous wrote: »

Just dont read the comments under the article on their website

Amen to that, some of it is pretty sick

RIP to those who died. I hope their families get all of the assistance they need.

Tragic story

errlloyd

I friend is on a J1 in the same apartment complex, he says as far as he is aware the victims are all Irish. It's incredibly tragic. Start of the trip, for many probably the first time they've been away from their families. RIP.

Dirty Dingus McGee

riffmongous wrote: »

Just dont read the comments under the article on their website

What an unbelievable bunch of scumbags on that website.

riffmongous

riffmongous wrote: »

Just dont read the comments under the article on their website

The people making those comments are scum, I read them myself :mad:

jon1981

riffmongous wrote: »

Just dont read the comments under the article on their website

+1 There are some seriously messed up people over there! I was repulsed by some of the comments.

EDIT: Most of the comments, seriously there are some absolute c**ts commenting there, the odd post is a well wisher with most gloating! :mad: :mad: :mad:

LadyFenghuang

Deleted User wrote: »

The people making those comments are scum, I read them myself :mad:

Hopefully the families will not.

Fratton Fred

Terrible tragedy. My thoughts are with those involved.

Knex*

I can't even imagine what this is like for the families of the people involved.

How you can read about this and lack basic empathy for victims and their loved ones, and go and post some of those comments under that article is beyond my comprehension.

Horrible story.

Not a NSA agent

riffmongous wrote: »

Just dont read the comments under the article on their website

I'm assuming liberals built the balcony to Obama's specs which caused it to fail?

FootShooter

The top balcony is the one that collapsed: https://goo.gl/maps/b3AnX

The apartment complex is called Library Gardens and is very popular with students all year round.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/five-killed-balcony-collapses-fourth-floor-berkeley-n376181?

thebaz

Stheno wrote: »

Amen to that, some of it is pretty sick

RIP to those who died. I hope their families get all of the assistance they need.

Tragic story

agree , some horrible sick reading - the American right can be bad - but hopefully just the thoughts of a tiny sick few. Thoughts with the family of the dead and injured - both American & Irish

BabySlam

Chilling news. they are all Irish.

LadyFenghuang

LadyFenghuang wrote: »

Hopefully the families will not.

How is there so many hateful people though, wow shocked by it :mad:

riffmongous

jon1981 wrote: »

+1 There are some seriously messed up people over there! I was repulsed by some of the comments.

EDIT: Most of the comments, seriously there are some absolute c**ts commenting there, the odd post is a well wisher with most gloating! :mad: :mad: :mad:

Yeah it's actually sick to read, absolute scum.

But I'd rather not give them any more attention and just think about the tragedy, RIP

homerjay2005

those fox comments are simply appalling. never seen anything like that.

ongarboy

Very sad and RIP to victims. I remember being in Chicago one summer about 10 years ago where a party was taking place in an upper floor apartment and the balcony was full of people out celebrating and it collapsed onto the apartment balcony below crushing/killing about 10 people and injuring many others. It was down to the balcony not being able to support the extra weight.

P_1

Those comments on Fox are disgusting.

RIP to those killed and here's hoping that the injured make a full recovery

the_monkey

RIP, such a tragedy, should have been the best summer of their lives and now this ... just isn't fair.

Stheno

I sincerely hope the injured have decent health care cover.

mocha please!

My 21 year old cousin and four of her friends are over in California on a J1 right now. We haven't been able to make contact. If anyone gets any information at all on the names of the victims or what part of Ireland they were from, I'd really appreciate a PM, even if it can't be posted publicly. Thanks. She's an only child and I can't imagine what her parents are going through. And of course all the other families with children over there at the moment.

jon1981

13 confirmed to be involved according to the Indo.

Speaking on RTE Radio, Minister Flanagan said that it was feared that all 13 are from Ireland although their identities have not been 100pc confirmed.

He also said that four died at the scene, and that the other death was confirmed in hospital. There are now grave concerns for some of those injured.

polydactyl

To the two posters who know people over there I hope its not the people you know! What a horrible tragedy at what should have been one of the best times of their lives.

happyoutscan

This is tragic. My thoughts are with everyone involved.


As for the comments on Fox, just the drolls of innate losers. Pathetic cretins.

Knex*

mocha please! wrote: »

My 21 year old cousin and four of her friends are over in California on a J1 right now. We haven't been able to make contact. If anyone gets any information at all on the names of the victims or what part of Ireland they were from, I'd really appreciate a PM, even if it can't be posted publicly. Thanks. She's an only child and I can't imagine what her parents are going through. And of course all the other families with children over there at the moment.

I will say, bear in mind the time difference at the moment. Most people over there will still be in bed for another few hours. Its still only 5:30am.

Its normal to not be able to reach people there right now.

irish_man

I heard on the radio there that the families of those involved have already been contacted.

whiskeyman

mocha please! wrote: »

My 21 year old cousin and four of her friends are over in California on a J1 right now. We haven't been able to make contact. If anyone gets any information at all on the names of the victims or what part of Ireland they were from, I'd really appreciate a PM, even if it can't be posted publicly. Thanks. She's an only child and I can't imagine what her parents are going through. And of course all the other families with children over there at the moment.

Try the below.
Hope all ok.

Anyone with concerns about friends or family in the region, should call the Emergency Consular Response Team on +353 1 418 0200.”

LadyFenghuang

irish_man wrote: »

I heard on the radio there that the families of those involved have already been contacted.

That's good I hope they avoid the media.

sunshine and showers

It's been confirmed by the Minister that all five dead are Irish.

Maybe OP could be edited to include emergency consular number for family and friends of those in the area to call?

Emergency Consular Response Team +353 1 418 0200

FootShooter

Some local news coverage:

- http://abc7news.com/news/5-dead-8-injured-in-balcony-collapse-in-berkeley/787649/
- http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/06/16/balcony-collapse-kills-5-wounds-8-more-in-berkeley/
- http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Berkeley-Balcony-Collapse-Kills-5-Hurts-8-Kittredge-Street--307546441.html
- http://kron4.com/2015/06/16/5-dead-after-berkeley-balcony-collapse/
- http://wn.ktvu.com/story/29329732/5-people-dead-8-hurt-after-berkeley-balcony-collapses
- http://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/Police-5-dead-8-injured-in-balcony-collapse-in-6329729.php
- http://www.insidebayarea.com/warriors/ci_28316128/do-weary-cavaliers-have-enough-game-6

the nikkei is rising

If you can please spread that it's happened in Berkeley I'm just home from staying with friends in Huntington and two of their parents have called over to the house distraught, even though they're nowhere close.

Terrible situation, every irish person I met over there was just focused on having a good time and they were all willing to help out when it came to jobs and accommodation issues which a lot of people are running into on the west coast, really hope everyone else involved walks away from this.

gandalf

Dreadful news, students starting there summer at a party.

RIP and condolences to their families.

(I made the mistake in checking out the Foxnews website, what a sad bunch of hateful pondscum they are reveling in the deaths of young people like that!)

LadyFenghuang

mocha please! wrote: »

My 21 year old cousin and four of her friends are over in California on a J1 right now. We haven't been able to make contact. If anyone gets any information at all on the names of the victims or what part of Ireland they were from, I'd really appreciate a PM, even if it can't be posted publicly. Thanks. She's an only child and I can't imagine what her parents are going through. And of course all the other families with children over there at the moment.

It's probably NOT the people you know. They are probably just fine.
Of course but I can't imagine we will find out anything. It's possibly best for you not to fret until information is out. Perhaps it's best not to read anything just yet.
Emergency Consular Response Team +353 1 418 0200
It would be the healthiest way to find out.

jon1981

Some unhelpful comments on the Indo site saying the victims are from Dublin. I would suggest ignoring it until an official source confirms or denies.

P_1

mocha please! wrote: »

My 21 year old cousin and four of her friends are over in California on a J1 right now. We haven't been able to make contact. If anyone gets any information at all on the names of the victims or what part of Ireland they were from, I'd really appreciate a PM, even if it can't be posted publicly. Thanks. She's an only child and I can't imagine what her parents are going through. And of course all the other families with children over there at the moment.

Try not to stress yourself too much. California is 8 hours behind us, it's only 5:45 am there now. I'd imagine the reason you can't get through right now is because they're all asleep.

The consulate can be reached via 01 418 0200, give them a quick call to hopefully put your mind at ease.

LadyFenghuang

There is not a lot we can do. But with Chinese whispers there is a lot of harm we can do. It might be best to leave it to the authorities. There is not a lot else we can do except express condolences etc.

I think it's not good to whip up hype.