Kobe Bryant, an 18-time All-Star and five-time N.B.A. champion, and his daughter Gianna were among nine people in a helicopter that crashed near Calabasas, California. A college baseball coach and his wife and daughter were also killed.
The authorities in Los Angeles County said it could take several days to recover bodies from the crash site, as the helicopter crashed in rough terrain.
Bryant was among the passengers traveling onboard the helicopter. Nine people died in the crash, including the pilot, said Alex Villanueva, the Los Angeles County sheriff, during a news conference.
It was not immediately clear how many passengers the helicopter was approved to transport, and fire officials said it was not immediately clear whether the helicopter was overloaded.
The N.B.A. sent a confirmation of Bryant’s and Gianna’s deaths to all teams and league employees Sunday afternoon, according to two people familiar with the document.
The other victims of the crash included John Altobelli, a longtime baseball coach at Orange Coast College, a junior college in Costa Mesa. Calif., as well as Altobelli’s wife, Keri, and daughter Alyssa, university officials said.
