Criminal probe into Berkeley balcony collapse confirmed

Prosecutors in the San Francisco Bay Area have said they will lead a criminal investigation into the Berkeley balcony collapse that killed six Irish college students.

Berkeley police will help with the inquiry, the Alameda County district attorney’s office told the Oakland Tribune.

The development comes two days after building inspectors said the fifth-floor balcony that snapped off an apartment building was supported by wooden beams badly rotted by exposure to moisture.

Five of the students who died on June 16 were from Ireland and working in the Bay Area for the summer, the other woman was an Irish-American who happened to be a cousin of one of the other victims. Seven others were seriously injured and remain in hospital.

It is unclear who the inquiry would target, but personal injury lawyer Michael A Kelly told the newspaper that criminal charges could range from negligence or recklessness to manslaughter.