Kobe Bryant: Three of the nine victims’ bodies recovered from crash site

Three bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of Kobe Bryant’s helicopter, but police will not say who they belong to.

Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gianna, 13, died when their helicopter crashed into the side of a hill in Calabasasa, California, on Sunday morning.

There were another seven people on board who also died; two of Gianna’s basketball teammates, their parents, a coach and the pilot.

Where the helicopter crashed is on a patch of ‘rough’ terrain which emergency teams had trouble accessing throughout the afternoon on Sunday.

They had to suspend their efforts on Sunday night and started again on Monday morning once it was light. It is unclear what kind of condition the bodies are in.

Upon impact, the helicopter caught fire. Sheriff Alex Villlanueva said on Sunday: ‘It’s a logistical nightmare in a sense, because the crash site itself is not easily accessible.

‘They cannot access the crash site, it is a very rough terrain, dangerous even in daylight. We just want people to stay away.’

He said the terrain was ‘rough’ and that there was debris for 100 yards in every direction of the crash.

What caused it remains unconfirmed. The NTSB will continue its investigation into the crash.

Three of the nine victims' bodies from Kobe Bryant helicopter crash site have been recovered https://t.co/M5JcEiiS0B pic.twitter.com/lVxHgmL8Hf

— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) January 27, 2020

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Audio of the pilot’s interactions with air traffic controllers show he intended on following the 101 highway towards Thousand Oaks – where the basketball academy was – when he veered off path and ended up crashing into the hill.

It is possible he had become disoriented because of the poor visibility and thick fog and clouds.

The pilot had been qualified to fly in foggy conditions and he was even given special clearance to fly on Sunday.

The recovery effort is ongoing.