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Irish Student Aoife Beary Wakes From Coma After Berkeley Balcony Collapse

Irish Student Aoife Beary Wakes From Coma After Berkeley Balcony Collapse
Sarah Gough
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Aoife Beary, a victim of the tragic Berkeley balcony collapse, has woken from her coma.

Six students died last month when they fell five floors from an apartment complex in Berkeley, California. They were celebrating Aofie's 21st birthday.

21-year-old Aoife received serious head injuries but had successful heart surgery 10 days after the incident and is now making progress.

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Aoife was celebrating her 21st birthday party when the balcony collapsed

A statement released on the Facebook page 'Friends of Aoife Beary' last night gave updates on her progress. It read: "Aoife is still in the ICU but is no longer on the critical list. She has slowly started to awaken from the induced coma - this process is expected to take some time.

"Aoife has also started some communication with her parents and the medical team. She has had a tracheotomy within the last week and continues to make progress on her long road to recovery."

Like Aoife, the five students who died were from South Dublin. Medical students Lorcan Miller and Eimear Walsh; Olivia Burke, who went to school with Eimear; Niccolai Schuster, who was at the same college as Lorcan and Eimear, and his friend from school Eoghan Culligan.

Olivia's cousin, Irish-American Ashley Donohoe, also died.

21-year-olds Hannah Waters and Clodagh Cogley, also from Dublin, suffered major injuries and are both being treated in a medical rehabilitation centre in Santa Clara.

All of the students were on J1 working visas for the summer and were among 40 others attending the birthday party.

Investigations found severe dry rot in the unsafe balcony and new safety rules for buildings in the university city were immediately drawn up as a result.

Berkeley Balcony Collapse
Berkeley Balcony Collapse(01 of09)
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Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, left, hugs Philip Grant, Consul General of Ireland of the Western United States, after placing wreaths at the Library Gardens apartment complex in Berkeley, Calif., Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Berkeley police say several people are dead and others injured after a balcony fell shortly before 1 a.m., near the University of California, Berkeley. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Berkeley Balcony Collapse(02 of09)
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Workers with BELFOR Restoration Company remove part of a fourth floor balcony that fall onto the balcony below at the Library Gardens apartment complex in Berkeley, Calif. on Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Berkeley police say several people are dead and others injured after a balcony fell shortly before 1 a.m., near the University of California, Berkeley. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Berkeley Balcony Collapse(03 of09)
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Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, left, and Philip Grant, Consul General of Ireland of the Western United States, second from left, place wreaths at the Library Gardens apartment complex in Berkeley, Calif., Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Berkeley police say several people are dead and others injured after a balcony fell shortly before 1 a.m., near the University of California, Berkeley. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Berkeley Balcony Collapse(04 of09)
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Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, left, hugs Philip Grant, Consul General of Ireland of the Western United States, after placing wreaths at the Library Gardens apartment complex in Berkeley, Calif., Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Berkeley police say several people are dead and others injured after a balcony fell shortly before 1 a.m., near the University of California, Berkeley. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Berkeley Balcony Collapse(05 of09)
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Philip Grant, Consul General of Ireland of the Western United States, left, and Neil Sands of the Irish Network Bay Area place a flag of Ireland over wreaths at the Library Gardens apartment complex in Berkeley, Calif., Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Berkeley police say several people are dead and others injured after a balcony fell shortly before 1 a.m., near the University of California, Berkeley. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Berkeley Balcony Collapse(06 of09)
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Philip Grant, Consul General of Ireland of the Western United States, left, and Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, second from left, stand with Berkeley fire fighters before placing wreaths at the Library Gardens apartment complex in Berkeley, Calif., Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Berkeley police say several people are dead and others injured after a balcony fell shortly before 1 a.m., near the University of California, Berkeley. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Berkeley Balcony Collapse(07 of09)
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Mary Elzy says a prayer for victims of a balcony that collapsed in Berkeley, Calif., Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Berkeley police said several people were killed and others injured after a balcony fell shortly before 1 a.m., near the University of California, Berkeley. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Berkeley Balcony Collapse(08 of09)
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A flag of Ireland is draped over wreaths at the Library Gardens apartment complex in Berkeley, Calif., Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Berkeley police say several people are dead and others injured after a balcony fell shortly before 1 a.m., near the University of California, Berkeley. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
APTOPIX Berkeley Balcony Collapse(09 of09)
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Workers remove part of a balcony that collapsed at the Library Gardens apartment complex in Berkeley, Calif., Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Berkeley police say several people are dead and others injured after the balcony fell near the University of California, Berkeley. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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