Nine people dead in Kobe Bryant helicopter crash

Nine people were killed in the helicopter crash that claimed the life of NBA star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Los Angeles officials confirmed on Sunday.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said eight passengers and the pilot of the aircraft died in the accident.

“There were no survivors… There were nine people on board the aircraft, the pilot plus eight individuals,” Villanueva said.

The helicopter crashed in foggy weather in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas. Authorities said firefighters received a call at 9:47 am about the crash, which caused a brush fire on a hillside.

The Los Angeles Times quoted police as saying that weather conditions were such that the Los Angeles Police Department’s air support division grounded its helicopters until the afternoon, when the fog lifted.