(CMR) Legendary NBA player Kobe Bryant has died in a California helicopter crash, a report said Sunday. He was 41. Bryant was among at least four people traveling in his private helicopter over Calabasas when a fire broke out, sending the chopper spiraling from the sky, according to TMZ Sports. The incident occurred earlier in the morning as emergency services were contacted shortly before 10:00 am California time.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said at least five people died in the crash.
There were no survivors, and the cause of the crash is under investigation. Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, was not among those aboard the chopper, according to the report. Bryant starred for two decades with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five championships and making 18 All-Star Games before retiring after the 2016 season.
He is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and four daughters – Natalia and Bianca and Capri.
On Sunday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby and other authorities held a press conference to address the helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, that claimed the life of Bryant, 41, as well as his daughter Gianna, 13.
“All survivors were determined to have been perished,” Osby said, adding it took authorities eight minutes to get to the crash site.
Villanueva confirmed a total of nine victims, the pilot and eight others, died in the crash.
“Our firefighters on the scene indicated there was a debris-filled and steep terrain with quarter-acre brushfire,”
Osby said.
“Our firefighters hiked into the accident site with medical equipment and hose lines to extinguish the stubborn fire, as it included the brushfire debris from the helicopter. The fire also included magnesium which is very hard for our firefighters to extinguish because magnesium reacts with oxygen and water.”
Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli was among the victims OCC assistant coach Ron La Ruffa confirmed Sunday, Jan 26.
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