This story was updated at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Six people are dead and seven injured after a balcony collapsed in an apartment building near the University of California's Berkeley campus.
Police confirmed that five of those killed were visiting students from Ireland. The luxury building is home to mostly Berkeley students, and the college town is a popular destination for Irish students visiting the U.S. on J-1 working holiday visas.
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“It’s a difficult scene,” Berkeley police spokeswoman Jennifer Coates told reporters. “Unfortunately it’s going to be a more difficult day for the family of the victims that were involved in this."
During a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Alameda County Sheriff's Department Sgt. JD Nelson said three women, two of whom are from Ireland and three young men from Ireland were among the dead.
Nelson named the Irish students as Olivia Burke, Eoghan Culligan, Niccolai Schuster, Lorcan Miller, and Eimear Walsh, all 21.
Ashley Donohoe, 22, was also killed.
A local reporter said the victims may were
“It looks like it may have collapsed from the fourth floor and then struck the third floor balcony that’s just below it," Coats said. "But we don’t know specifically how it’s happened at this point, so that’s all going to be part of the investigation."
Developing: 5 people are dead and 8 others injured after a balcony collapsed in #Berkeley overnight pic.twitter.com/sHVaCmsNM2
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) June 16, 2015
The fourth-floor balcony of an apartment on Kittredge Street fell just after midnight local time, Berkeley police told NBC News. There may have been up to 12-14 people on it when it fell, Irish Consul General Philip Grant told reporters.
5 dead, 8 seriously injured #balconycollapse #Berkeley Irish govt confirming several victims are from Ireland #KTVU pic.twitter.com/ojqJZ7mjPA
— taramoriarty (@taramoriarty1) June 16, 2015
Photos from the scene showed debris from the balcony littering the street, including pieces of clothing and red cups.
#breaking: debris from #berkeley balcony collapse. you can see clothing & drink cups. those injured look student-aged pic.twitter.com/qeQT9yMAIq
— Kristen Sze (@abc7kristensze) June 16, 2015
A witness to the collapse told San Francisco's CBS affiliate that he saw people running around barefoot with blood on their knees and on their shirts. "They’re all trying to figure out who was hurt and how bad and where are they," he said.
The Irish Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement that a number of young Irish people were among the dead, though it is still unclear how many.
A photo posted by Alex Savidge (@alexsavidgektvu) on Jun 16, 2015 at 6:09am PDT
“It is with great sadness that I confirm that a number of young Irish citizens have lost their lives while a number of others have been seriously injured following the collapse of a balcony in Berkeley, California, earlier today,” said Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan in a statement.
Anyone with concerns about friends or family in the Berkley region, should call the Emergency Consular Response Team on +353 1 418 0200
— IrishForeignMinistry (@dfatirl) June 16, 2015
He acknowledged that the Irish government still has limited information on the deaths but that concerned families could call an emergency crisis line.
“It is too early to know the full extent of this dreadful accident but I have opened my Department’s Consular Crisis Centre and activated our emergency response line so we can provide assistance and guidance to the families of those affected and to others who have concerns," said Flanagan.
"Heartfelt sympathy & condolences to the families, friends & loved ones of the Irish students who lost their lives in Berkley this morning," added U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Kevin O'Malley in a tweet.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny confirmed that "a number of young Irish citizens have lost their lives while a number of others have been seriously injured," and Ireland President Michael Higgins said he was "absolutely devastated to hear the news."
Early Tuesday morning, the Irish government asked J-1 students to contact their families "to let them know you are safe."
If you are on a #J1 in #Berkeley, California, please contact your family/friends to let them know you are safe. — IrishForeignMinistry (@dfatirl) June 16, 2015
The office for Berkeley's city manager said in a statement that the building had recently completed construction in 2007. Its owner has reportedly been ordered to "perform structural assessment of remaining balconies within 48 hours," according to Breaking News.