ONE of the seven Irish students injured in the Berkeley balcony collapse is flying home to Dublin today to attend the funerals of friends lost to the tragedy.
Sean Fahey, from Rathmines, leaves the US with his family today, after being released from the California hospital where he had been recovering since the balcony collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday, June 16.
A tweet from the Irish Consulate for Western USA said Mr Fahey would travel "In solidarity to be near his friends and their families in the difficult days ahead".
The 21-year-old is thought to have left hospital on Sunday, June 21, and was staying with family in the Bay Area before heading back to Ireland today.
The six other Irish students who remain in hospitals near Berkeley are Jack Halpin, Conor Flynn, Niall Murray, Clodagh Cogley, Aoife Beary and Hannah Waters.
They are not expected to return to Ireland this week.
Students Eimear Walsh, Olivia Burke, Lorcán Miller, Niccolai Schuster and Eoghan Culligan, all aged 21 and from Dublin, died in the California disaster.
So did their friend, 22-year-old Ashley Donohoe, an Irish-American from California - and the cousin of Olivia Burke - who was with them when the tragedy stuck during a 21st birthday party held at the Library Gardens complex in Berkeley last week.
While Ashley’s funeral took place in California on Saturday (June 20), five further funerals will be held in Dublin this week – the first of which will take place this morning.
Separate funeral services are due to be held for Eimear Walsh and Eoghan Culligan today.
