On Sunday night, tragedy struck the sporting world after it was announced that nine people lost their lives in a fatal helicopter crash in Calabasas, California including NBA legend, Kobe Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend and daughter were flying to the Mamba Academy near Thousand Oaks, California when the crash occurred, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
A 911 call was reportedly placed at 9:47 a.m. reporting a helicopter fire, with first responders reaching the scene of the crash about eight minutes later. After they extinguish the fires, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Office revealed, that all eight passengers and the helicopter’s pilot had died.
The Coroner’s Office in a statement disclosed that they are still working to recover the remains, but information about the identity of the crash victims have been revealed.
Alyssa Altobelli, a teammate of Gianna‘s, was also on the helicopter, along with her parents, Keri and John Altobelli, who was a baseball coach at Orange Coast College.
Christina Mauser, an assistant coach at Harbor Day School in Corona Del Mar, California, was also among the victims as well as Sarah Chester and her daughter, Payton Chester.
The official cause of the helicopter crash is currently under investigation, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Office said.
Kobe Bryant is survived by his wife, Vanessa Bryant, and their three other children, Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months.
