VIDEO: Berkeley tragedy: ‘Our children were blessed in their friends’

The families of the Irish students killed in a balcony collapse in the US have said the response of their friends to the tragedy is a testament to the bonds between them.

In a statement issued on behalf of the families of Eoghan Culligan, Lorcán Miller, Niccolai Schuster and Eimear Walsh, they also praised local authorities, the emergency services, medical staff, communities, and parishes in Berkeley; the Irish consul, Philip Grant and US ambassador Anne Anderson.

The Consul General of Ireland coordinated a service earlier this evening for the families of those who lost loved ones as a result of the balcony collapse on June 16.