The collapse of a balcony in a Californian university town last summer which left six students dead and a further seven seriously injured - almost all of them from Ireland - was a tragedy of enormous proportions which demanded a full investigation.
It was announced yesterday that no criminal charges are to be brought over the Berkeley disaster, which was thought to have been caused by dry rot in an apartment complex only built in 2007, although civil proceedings against 30 companies on behalf of the victims are continuing.
The Irish minister for foreign affairs, Charlie Flanagan, said last night that his department would study the report issued by the Alemeda County District Attorney closely and was consulting with all the affected families.
It may have been unlikely that manslaughter convictions would have been possible in the circumstances, but the priority for the authorities must be to ensure that appropriate compensation payments follow swiftly and the strictest possible construction safeguards are maintained in future.
