Kobe Bryant's body identified as all nine victims recovered from crash site
Kobe Bryant and his teenage daughter Gianna were among nine people aboard the doomed aircraft when it went down in California.
/resources/favicon.ico?v=2
Sky News
All nine bodies have been recovered from the scene of the helicopter crash that killed basketball legend Kobe Bryant.

Authorities in Los Angeles said the pilot and eight passengers had all been retrieved after a "very difficult" operation, which was hindered by the "rugged terrain" of the hillside where the chopper went down on Sunday.

LA Lakers icon Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among those aboard the doomed aircraft, along with the pilot and six other passengers.

LA County sheriff Alex Villanueva had warned earlier on Tuesday that it could take "several days" to recover remains from the crash site in Calabasas, but the local coroner confirmed that all the victims have now been retrieved.

Three bodies were found on Monday, with further searches securing the other six, and the coroner has said that Bryant's body has been identified via fingerprints.

Others killed included Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa, who played on the same basketball team as Gianna.

The girls' coach Christina Mauser also died, her husband confirmed.

Bryant - considered one of the greatest NBA stars of all time - and Gianna were on their way to a girls' basketball tournament at a sports academy, where he was to have coached his daughter's team that day.

The chopper went down amid heavy cloud and fog that had grounded police helicopters in the area.

Jennifer Homendy, from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), has appealed to the public to come forward with any photographs that might help document local weather conditions at the time of the crash.

But she told reporters that weather was just one factor in the investigation into the crash.

"We take a broad look at everything in an investigation - man, machine and the environment," she said.

"And weather is just a small portion of that."

She described how bits of the aircraft - a section of the fuselage, a piece of the tail, a rotor and other debris - were strewn around an impact crater where the helicopter slammed into a tall grassy slope.

"It was a pretty devastating accident scene," she added.

The helicopter carrying Bryant, 41, had received a safety warning moments before the fatal crash.

An audio recording revealed the pilot, Ara Zobayan, was told "you're too low for flight following at this time" seconds before the helicopter disappeared from radar.

It is understood that the pilot had requested "flight following", which is a US aerospace term for radar monitoring.

Mr Zobayan has been described as an "experienced pilot" who had 8,200 hours of flight time under his belt, and had been climbing to avoid a cloud layer before the chopper crashed.

The helicopter - identified by the Federal Aviation Authority as a Sikorsky S-76 - was travelling at 153 knots (176mph) when it crashed, according to tracking site Flightradar24.

:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

Tributes have continued to pour in from the sporting world and beyond following the crash, as the NBA called off the Lakers' match against the LA Clippers on Tuesday.

Basketball star LeBron James, who plays for the LA Lakers, broke his silence over Bryant's death on Tuesday, saying he was "heartbroken" and he had cried every time he had attempted to pen a tribute to his friend.

James said on Instagram: "I'm not ready but here I go. Man I sitting here trying to write something for this post but every time I try I begin crying again just thinking about you, niece Gigi and the friendship/bond/brotherhood we had!

"I literally just heard your voice Sunday morning before I left Philly to head back to LA. Didn't think for one bit in a million years that would be the last conversation we'd have."

He added: "I'm heartbroken and devastated my brother!! Man I love you big bro. My heart goes to Vanessa and the kids. I promise you I'll continue your legacy man! You mean so much to us all here especially #LakerNation."

On Monday night, the Empire State Building in New York was lit up purple and gold - the colours of the LA Lakers - to honour Bryant.

The 41-year-old, who spent his entire playing career with the Lakers, was a five-time NBA championship winner with 18 NBA All-Star selections and two Olympic gold medals.

Following his retirement in 2016 as the third-leading scorer in NBA history, the Lakers retired the shirt numbers he had worn during his career - eight and 24.