The balcony collapse that killed six college students appears to have been caused by rotted wooden beams, Berkeley's mayor said Wednesday as the victims' heartbroken loved ones began arriving in the U.S. from Ireland.
Mayor Tom Bates said investigators believe the wood was not caulked and sealed properly at the time of construction, and was damaged by moisture as a result. He said that appears to be the prime cause of Tuesday's tragedy.
The crowded fifth-floor balcony broke off an apartment building during a 21st-birthday party held by visiting Irish college students, spilling 13 people 50 feet onto the pavement below. In addition to the six killed, seven were seriously hurt.
Berkeley inspectors determine 3rd floor balcony "structurally unsafe and presented collapse hazard." #balconycollapse pic.twitter.com/01FFqsDZYN— alan wang (@AlanWangABC7) June 17, 2015
"More than likely, it was caused by rain and water damage that was caused to the support beams," Bates said early Wednesday.
Later, Bates hedged those earlier comments, saying, “It was speculation on my part about possible water damage to the wood supports for the balcony. That is not an official conclusion. I am not a structural engineer and am not qualified to make a judgment.”
Experts who spoke with The San Francisco Chronicle, however, echoed Mayor Bates' earlier hypothesis.
Berkeley building inspectors also determined another balcony at the Library Gardens apartment building was "structurally unsafe and presented a collapse hazard," and it ordered it demolished. Two other balconies were declared off-limits at the apartment complex, which was completed in 2007.
A Mass was held Wednesday evening at the Light of Christ Cathedral in Oakland for the victims, as grieving family members arrived from Ireland. Another mass was held Wednesday night at Loreto College in Dublin, Ireland, where two of the victims had attended college. Hundreds of students also gathered in Martin Luther King Civic Center Park near the apartment complex where the balcony collapsed.
Vigil and memorial service for Irish killed in balcony collapse http://t.co/mwH9L66ymF pic.twitter.com/VIi8Bo1ukR— RTÉ News (@rtenews) June 18, 2015
Hundreds gathered in Berkeley for vigil to pay tribute to victims of Tuesday's balcony collapse. pic.twitter.com/0cAcldTXB8— Kale Williams (@sfkale) June 18, 2015
Additional reporting by Mashable.