Partiers plunge onto jagged rocks when beach balcony collapses, Malibu officials say

Several people were hospitalized Saturday when a Malibu balcony collapsed, sending a group plummeting to the rocks below, officials in California say.

The owner had rented the home to a group of young people for the weekend, KCBS reported. She said no more than six people were allowed to stay at the property.

After neighbors called the homeowner complaining about noise, she checked her surveillance cameras and discovered there were dozens of people inside, according to KTLA. She said she’d told the renters they weren’t allowed to throw parties.

The homeowner said she tried for three hours to convince the group to leave and was on the phone with them just before the balcony collapsed around 5:15 p.m., according to KCBS.

“(There were) probably like 10 people on the back deck and we heard a crack and I literally saw all of my best friends and my girlfriend fall 15 feet to the rocks,” one man told KABC.

Ron Haralson, public information officer with the L.A. County Fire Department, told KTLA there were between 10 and 15 people on the balcony during the “large social gathering” when it collapsed. The group fell roughly 15 feet, he said.

“Down below are jagged rocks, large rocks, so a very dangerous situation,” Haralson told KABC.

Four people were taken to the hospital for their injuries and five others were assessed at the scene, but declined further treatment, according to KTLA.

Some outlets reported that two people were taken to trauma centers in critical condition. McClatchy News has reached out to fire officials to confirm.

Investigators believe the integrity of the balcony and the weight of the group caused the balcony to fall, KABC reported.

The fire department has determined the house is uninhabitable, according to KCBS, and the owner said she believes it was vandalized.

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