An Irish survivor of the Berkeley student balcony collapse tragedy, which killed six students, dies almost seven years later

Aoife Beary, one of the survivors of the 2015 Berkeley balcony collapse in California, has died aged 27.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd Jan 2022, 17:51 BST
Updated 2nd Jan 2022, 17:58 BST
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, left, and Philip Grant, Consul General of Ireland of the Western United States, walk in front of the building where the balcony collapsed in Berkeley, Calif.,in June, 2015. Six people died at the time and a seventh, Aoife Beary, has now died from her injuries (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, left, and Philip Grant, Consul General of Ireland of the Western United States, walk in front of the building where the balcony collapsed in Berkeley, Calif.,in June, 2015. Six people died at the time and a seventh, Aoife Beary, has now died from her injuries (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, left, and Philip Grant, Consul General of Ireland of the Western United States, walk in front of the building where the balcony collapsed in Berkeley, Calif.,in June, 2015. Six people died at the time and a seventh, Aoife Beary, has now died from her injuries (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Ms Beary, from Blackrock in south Dublin, survived the 2015 tragedy on the west coast of America.

Olivia Burke, Eoghan Culligan, Lorcan Miller, Niccolai Schuster, Eimear Walsh and Ashley Donohoe died when the balcony on the fifth floor of an an apartment

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building collapsed in the early hours of June 16 2015 during a 21st birthday party.

Workers remove part of a fourth floor balcony that collapsed in 2015, causing what has now become seven deaths (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)Workers remove part of a fourth floor balcony that collapsed in 2015, causing what has now become seven deaths (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Workers remove part of a fourth floor balcony that collapsed in 2015, causing what has now become seven deaths (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Thirteen people who were on the balcony, 12 Irish working students and one Irish American, plunged to the ground in the horrifying incident, seven of whom survived.

Ms Beary was among those seriously injured in the balcony collapse, which left her with life-changing injuries.

As a result of her injuries, which included losing her teeth and brain damage, she also required open heart surgery.

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It is understood that she died in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin on Saturday.

South Dublin GAA club Cuala paid tribute to Ms Beary.

In a post on the team’s website, the club said: “It is with a heavy heart and great sadness we have to tell you that Aoife Beary passed away peacefully last night in Beaumont Hospital.

“We are all devastated. We pass on the condolences of the whole Cuala community to Mike, Angela, Tim, Anna and the whole Beary family.”

The district attorney of Alameda County launched a criminal probe into the incident at the time, which was blamed on dry rot.

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