LOS ANGELES, Jan 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nine people were killed in the
helicopter crash which 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 shortly at 9:47 am
about the crash, which caused a brush fire on a hillside.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said firefighters had to hike to
the site with medical equipment and hose lines to extinguish the blaze.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti confirmed that Bryant’s daughter Gianna
was among the victims.
“L.A. is grieving with the Bryant family over the loss of Gianna, who
perished with her father and friends in today’s tragedy,” Garcetti wrote on
Twitter.
Gianna was one of Bryant’s four children with his wife Vanessa.
The retired NBA star, 41, and Gianna were flying to a game his daughter
was expected to play in when their helicopter crashed, according to US
reports.
Local media said the other victims included another player and a parent.
Orange Coast College confirmed that its baseball coach, John Altobelli,
56, was on board the helicopter.
CNN said Altobelli’s wife, Keri, and one of their two daughters, Alyssa,
were aboard the chopper.
Villaneuva told reporters the authorities would not identify the victims
pending notification of family members and identification from the coroner’s office.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was dispatching an 18-
person team to California to help with the investigation into the crash.
Jennifer Homendy, a member of the NTSB, said that the helicopter was a Sikorsky S-76B that has a black box which investigators will seek to recover.
According to data from flightradar24.com, a flight tracking site, the
chopper took off from John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana at 9:06 am.
It headed northwest, reportedly to Mamba Sports Academy in Newbury Park — about 137 kilometers away — where Gianna was to have a basketball game. — NNN-AGENCIES