2 Killed, 29 Hurt When Malibu Balcony Falls : Tragedy: Party-goers are hurled 20 feet onto rocky shore. Too many people and rusted beam are blamed.

A birthday party at a beachfront condominium in Malibu ended in tragedy early Sunday morning when a wooden balcony collapsed under a crowd of party-goers, killing two men and injuring at least 29 others who tumbled to the rocky shoreline 20 feet below, authorities said.

Pre-dawn rescue efforts were hampered because some of the injured were washed into the churning surf, and the 35 paramedics who responded had to fend off crashing waves as they treated the numerous concussions, broken bones and other injuries, authorities said.

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office identified the first fatality as George Hanasab, 36, a garment manufacturer from Woodland Hills who died of head injuries. He had attended the party with his fiancee, who broke her arms in the fall.

Farzad Laaly, 28, of Culver City died Sunday afternoon at UCLA Medical Center of head injuries.

Others taken to hospitals included two people in fair condition with back and abdomen trauma and a dozen injured from the fall onto the rocks and from the concrete and wood that showered upon them.

“It was like a war zone,” said Richard Gerardo, 35, a chiropractor who lives next door to the scene and helped with the rescue effort. “People were running around yelling and screaming. There were people all over the rocks, and there was glass and concrete everywhere. So many were injured that those with broken bones had to wait.”

Neighbors said they heard dance music and the bustle of a party coming from the home as they went to sleep. They were awakened by screams and the sound of the sliding glass doors smashing onto the rocks. Authorities said they were en route to the home responding to a neighbor’s noise complaint when they received a second call reporting the balcony collapse.

The most seriously injured victims were taken to UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, while others were treated at Westlake Medical Center in Westlake Village, Santa Monica Hospital Medical Center and Saint John’s Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica, said Clark Pearson, a Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman.

Authorities said the second-story balcony gave way shortly before 1 a.m. because too many people were crowded onto it and because a metal support beam buckled after being weakened by ocean corrosion. Neighbors said the home was being rented by Massoud Sarshar, a garment designer who was in the process of buying the property.

A structural engineer and building inspector had examined the home Friday as part of its sale, neighbors said. Their reports were due this week. After Sunday’s incident, Sarshar had begun moving his possessions out of the home and had planned to abandon the sale, neighbors said.

To ensure that other oceanfront structures were not at risk, Malibu city engineers began inspecting the accident scene in the 20400 block of Pacific Coast Highway and other nearby decks. Results of their investigation were not available.

Malibu Mayor Walt Keller said building inspectors will continue to monitor other structures to ensure their safety.

“It certainly brings up a concern,” he said. “It’s been my experience that accidents like this seem to take a series of events to happen. In this case, it was the corrosion coupled with too many people out there at one time.”

The accident, which took place in a stretch of older homes between Big Rock Drive and Las Flores Canyon Road, unnerved some who live on the ocean’s edge in properties that are among the region’s most prestigious. On Sunday, some residents looked over the accident scene, stepping over the plastic cups, shish kebabs and other party remnants littering the rocks.

“You get 25 people jumping up and down on this and it’s all over,” said a neighbor, who bounced up and down on his wooden balcony to show its flimsiness. “I guess this shows that everything isn’t perfect here in paradise. We’re living on the edge in more ways than one.”

Another longtime coastal resident, Dorinne Hannan, said the accident highlighted the need for caution.

“I wouldn’t let even a dozen people onto my deck,” she said. “No way. You can feel the wood moving under your feet. You just can’t put that many people out there.”