‘They were great young kids,’ – locals pay tribute to Irish students killed in balcony collapse

They had only arrived in San Francisco earlier this summer, landing jobs and excitedly exploring the neighbourhood. But today the distraught families of the south Dublin 21-year-olds killed in yesterday's tragedy at Berkeley, Eoghan Culligan, Nick Schuster, Lorcán Miller, Olivia Burke and Eimear Walsh, have begun to arrive in the US to demand answers about why their young lives were cut short. The sixth woman killed when a balcony at apartment 405 collapsed was Ashley Donohoe, a California-based cousin of Aoife Beary, who was injured in the tragedy.

Collection of flowers near the #BerkeleyBalconycollapse. #mapit pic.twitter.com/6CK7VtB7p9

— Lilian Kim (@liliankim7) June 17, 2015

Aoife and fellow J1 students Hannah Waters, Niall Murray, Clodagh Cogley, Sean Fahey, Jack Halpin and Conor Flynn remain in hospital and at least two of this group are in critical condition following a fall of at least 40ft. According to local structural engineer Tony Childress, the tragedy was most likely caused by dry rot rather than the balcony being overloaded. Eimear and Olivia's boss at sushi restaurant Hana Zen told a local newspaper: "They were great young kids, very enthusiastic, full of energy. We're all devastated." As a mark of respect, the tricolour will be flown at half mast today at Government buildings. The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Christy Burke, will open a Book of Condolence at the Mansion House on Dawson Street on Thursday and Friday, 10am – 4pm.