Investigations are continuing into what caused the fatal balcony collapse in Berkeley that killed six Irish students.

Pictures from the scene showed that the balcony, about 5ft by 10ft, appeared to have broken off from the building.

It partly landed on the balcony below it, as well as in the street.

All the balconies in the apartment building have been sealed off while safety checks are carried out.

The building, which was built in 2006, has apartments on the upper floor and retail shops on the ground floor.

City authorities have ordered the property owner to perform a structural assessment of the remaining balconies within 48 hours.

It is believed up to 14 people were on the balcony when it gave way.

Gene St Onge is a California-based structural engineer. He says the balcony - which was less than a decade old - should have been able to carry the weight.

He told Newstalk Breakfast investigations into why it collapsed are likely to focus on the issue of dry rot.