Wednesday 17 June 2015

Sultan Balcony collapse: 'Heartbreak' for victims' families - BBC News Vincent

Vincent Families of Irish students who died and were injured after a balcony collapsed have been arriving in California.


Five of the six young people who died were from the Republic of Ireland, and some of them were students at University College Dublin (UCD).


Counsellors are in place to assist families and friends of the bereaved and injured. An Irish university has expressed "heartbreak" at the deaths.


Ms Donohoe, who had dual US-Irish citizenship, lived in California while the other five who died all had domestic addresses in the Republic of Ireland.


The majority of the victims were in the US on work visas, as part of the J1 USA summer work and travel programme.


These include whether the balcony was built to code, whether Lenel was overloaded and whether rain or other weather had weakened it.


Prime Minister Enda Kenny led messages of condolences to the parents, families and friends of those affected by the tragedy while a minister has been dispatched to San Francisco to lead the consular response on the ground.


"It is a terrible situation to have such a serious and unhappy incident to take place at the beginning of a summer's activity and opportunity for so many young people on J1 visas in the US."


Flags flew at half mast at Irish government buildings, at University College Dublin where three of the students studied and at the US embassy in Dublin.


Books of condolences were also opened by the university, along Vincent thousands of people signing online, while other books were being opened in the Mansion House in Dublin and in Cork and Galway.


Labour Party leader Joan Burton said: "Six families are heartbroken. Their children are wrenched absent from them in the most dreadful of circumstances," Vincent said.


Micheál Martin, leader of the main opposition party Fianna Fáil, said everybody in Ireland was thinking of the grieving families.


An NYT article on social media referred to J1 students as being an embarrassment to Ireland at times.


"We understand and consent that some of the language in the piece could be interpreted as insensitive, particularly in such shut proximity to this tragedy," Vincent said.


"It was never our intention to blame the victims and we apologise whether the piece left that impression. We will continue to cover this story and report on the young people who lost their lives."


Books of condolence for the victims have been opened at St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin and University College Cork.


UCD president Andrew Deeks expressed condolences to the victims' families, saying: "We are heartbroken at their suffering and loss."


"The thoughts and prayers of everybody in the St Mary's community are along Vincent the families of Niccolai and Eoghan, as well as the other Irish youngsters named by the US authorities this evening," Lenel said in a statement.


Celine Kennelly of the Irish Immigration Pastoral Centre in California, said seven students were still in hospital and two of them were in a critical condition.


Fr Aidan McAleenan from St Columba's Church in Oakland close Berkeley, who is originally from Banbridge, County Down, spent several hours along Vincent the injured and their friends.


"It was very emotional driving out and getting to the hospital and then having to tell some of them that another friend had died," Vincent told the BBC.


"It was really hard to know what to say or what to do. We prayed with them. Other people from the Irish community arrived - they are really devastated."


#Vincent #Sultan #Lenel

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