Remains Of Berkeley Balcony Collapse Victims Flown To Ireland; Memorials Held In Bay Area, Boston
BERKELEY (CBS SF) -- The remains of four of the five Irish nationals who died when a balcony collapsed in Berkeley Tuesday were flown to Ireland Saturday as weekend memorial services for the victims were held in Northern California and a Mass of Remembrance was announced for Monday in Boston.
On Saturday a Mass was held in Cotati for two of the victims, Ashley Donohoe of Rohnert Park and her cousin Olivia Burke, of Ireland.
The victims were remembered at a solemn Sunday service at San Francisco's St. Mary's Cathedral.
Also on Sunday, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston announced a Mass of Remembrance for the Irish students killed to be held at 7 p.m. Monday at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, followed by a reception where social workers will be available.
The Irish consulate in San Francisco issued a statement Saturday on behalf of the families of victims Olivia Burke, Eoghan Culligan, Lorcan Miller, Niccolai Schuster and Eimear Walsh, who were all Irish nationals, according to the Irish Consulate.
Those five victims were here in the U.S. on J-1 visas, which allows visitors to participate in work and study-based exchange programs.
"We would like to thank everyone in America and Ireland for their sympathy and support, which has been a tremendous comfort to us at this tragic time," the Irish Consulate said in the statement.
Six people, including four Irish exchange students, were killed Tuesday when a balcony snapped off the fifth floor of an apartment complex located at 2020 Kittredge St in Berkeley. Thirteen people were tossed onto the street 50 feet below. Seven people are hospitalized.
Investigators believe the cause of the collapse may have been because of water damage to the wood that supports the balcony, however they are have not confirmed the theory and are still investigating.
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